The Long Way Home
by njborba
Summary: Lee tries to deal with a secret that Kara kept from him for ten years. S3 spoilers up to, The Eye of Jupiter.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights _to Battlestar Galactica_, or its characters.

* * *

**The Long Way Home  
****Part 1**

By  
N. J. Borba

Karl crouched down and placed his wreath upon the river's watery surface. His eyes closed for a moment and a simple prayer was whispered into the evening breeze. He gave the branches a gentle nudge and looked on as the young girl beside him did the same with her own wreath. They stood together along the riverbank and watched the memorial rings float away into the distance. It was a simple service, nothing more than she would have wanted.

Sharon and the girls kept to a spot further back along the tree line. As the wreaths slipped out of sight past the horizon, Karl moved from the river's edge. He kissed each of his daughters on the forehead and enveloped his wife in a hug. The small family mourned a friend.

They kept watch over the girl by the river, who mourned a mother.

xxx

Moonlight filtered through the window panes, casting shadows on the walls of the cabin. Ten-year-old Ellie Thrace stood in the middle of her bedroom, looking misplaced in the familiar setting. She no longer considered the house a home. The heart of that designation had been ripped away from her just three days prior. A mother was gone forever. And in the wake of that tragedy, the girl's existence had shifted from contentment to uncertainty. She didn't know where she fit any longer.

Returning to the chore of packing up her life; she folded a worn leather jacket, brought it to her nose and inhaled for a second. Then she quickly situated it in a bag, banishing those memories for a while longer. Atop it she placed two framed pictures; one of them together at her last birthday and one of her uncle Karl and his family. Around her neck she hung the tags from her mother's previous life; the secret one she rarely ever mentioned. The girl knew only minor details of that time. Ever curious, she still never dared to press her mother.

There was a dresser in the corner of the room they shared. It was something they'd gotten at a yard sale and fixed up together, much the same as the rest of their meager belongings. Both beds were draped with antique quilts. They'd received them as a gift one Christmas from a friendly old neighbor lady, even though they didn't celebrate the Holiday. She packed the one from her bed, and left her mothers behind.

Karl poked his head into the room. "Hey, munchkin, you about done in here?"

He stopped short at the entrance and glanced around at bare walls. His friend hadn't lived in a very large place and the décor was nothing special, but Kara had always made the place warm and happy for her daughter. As he walked through the small spaces now, he realized just how much of that warmth had radiated from his friend.

One thing that had brightened the living area a great deal was the many paintings Kara had done over the years. Once they'd found Earth, once she'd settled into a new life; Kara had rediscovered her artistic abilities. Some were as abstract as could be, while many were detailed stages of her daughter's life. Instead of a camera, Kara had used paint to highlight the brightest spot in her world.

The blank walls continued to stare back at him. He wondered briefly what the girl had done with all the paintings, but he didn't feel it his place to ask. For all the years and friendship he had shared with Kara, he knew that she and Ellie had shared a special bond unlike any other. He hoped that the girl would be able to get past the loss and move on. Being uprooted right away probably wasn't helping much, but at age ten, she couldn't stay alone in the cabin. She'd be moving into town to live with him and Sharon.

Ellie didn't answer his question. She stood, silent and still, as she gazed out the window into the night sky. Her left hand rubbed aimlessly over the pattern of metal hexagons under her cotton t-shirt. After several long seconds, she finally looked over at the man who she loved like an uncle. "Do you think he knows she's gone?" her soft, sad voice questioned.

His brow furrowed. "Who?"

She gave him a pointed look, drew her hand away from the tags and crossed arms over her chest. Her bottom lip jutted out to form a disapproving pout. Not for the first time, Karl marveled at the amount of her mother he saw in the child. But as her blue eyes bore a knowing hole through him; she eerily reminded him of that calm-authoritative Adama quality he'd come to know well. Even though she'd never worn that surname, it still shone through.

"I doubt it, munchkin," Karl shook his head. "You know they haven't talked since before you came along," he reminded her.

"I know," she sighed and dropped her arms. The bag was zipped up and she slung it over her shoulder. She gave the room one last glance before taking her leave of the space.

Karl followed her out to the main room and watched as she packed a few more small items into the same bag. There was a candle and two idols that he recognized as Kara's. All totaled, she only filled one bag with clothing and another with personal effects. It wasn't much for a ten-year-old. He thought about his own girls and all the clothes and dolls that littered their rooms. Ellie had never been that sort of girl.

"I'm ready," she announced.

Karl silently nodded and headed toward the door. He turned around and waited for her. As she reached the threshold, she stopped and looked up at him again. Her big eyes were sad but he could tell that there was more to it than just that. They held the hint of a look that was pure Kara; a look he knew rather well.

"Will you take me to see him?" she asked. "Just to meet him and to tell him who I am. I know she never wanted that, but…" Ellie paused, as if fighting against a betrayal. She didn't want her mother to think she'd gone against her in any way, but she had so many questions. "I just need to ask him why." The girl concluded.

It was clear that she'd already set her mind to the task. Karl knew from experience that once an idea was imbedded in a Thrace's head, there was precious little he'd be able to do to stop it. Truth be told, Karl didn't want to stop it. He'd told Kara numerous times that Ellie had a right to meet her father. He'd never been successful, though, and he wished now that it hadn't taken the death of his best friend to finally make it happen. But he was happy to oblige the child.

"Yeah, munchkin. I'll take you," he promised.

He placed a comforting hand on Ellie's shoulder, squeezed it softly and ushered her out the door. They both shuffled down the wooded walkway and out to his waiting car. Neither of them looked back at the cabin. The structure behind them was just a shell. It didn't hold the memories of Kara Thrace any longer. They would carry those with them in their hearts.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights _to Battlestar Galactica_, or its characters.

* * *

**The Long Way Home  
****Part 2**

By  
N. J. Borba

She ran her hand over the letters that were etched in glass on the front of the door. Her uncle had made good on his promise. The slight ridges of a name bumped along her finger tips and she wondered what he looked like, what he sounded like. Even his name had been a mystery to her until Karl had told her a few hours ago. "Lee Adama," it rolled off Ellie's tongue like a prayer; a hope for a brighter future.

Ellie had told her uncle Karl that she just wanted to meet him, but she knew it was more than that. With her mother gone, she was clinging to the only family she had left. The girl knew that Karl and Sharon loved her dearly and that they would raise her like their own, but it just wasn't the same. On the other hand, there was no reason for her to think that Lee Adama would ever care about her, but she had to at least give it a shot.

"So, Lee's a lawyer now," Karl smirked as he came up behind Ellie. He looked down at her and noticed the confused expression on her face. "Sorry kid, it just seems a little weird. Everything changed so much when we landed on this planet," he commented. "We should go inside," his hand rested on the doorknob.

"I'd like to go in by myself," Ellie's smaller hand stopped him from advancing.

Bravest kid he knew. Ellie was also smart, funny and loyal to the core. All the good parts of her parents, rolled into one. At least they'd gotten one thing right. Karl shook the thoughts off as he regarded the girl for a moment. Finally, he nodded his head in silent agreement. "Take your time, munchkin. I'll be out here if you need me," he wandered down the hall and left her to it.

xxx

"Hi," some of Ellie's brave façade began to waver as she stood at the receptionist's desk.

The office wasn't very large. The waiting area held about a half dozen chairs and one small table with a few magazines atop it. The walls were painted a pale, neutral color. One plant hung in the far left corner of the room and the back wall of the space was lined with floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto a grassy courtyard. It was all very serene, yet it didn't put Ellie at ease. The girl's nerves had finally kicked in. She was jumpy and more scared than she cared to admit.

"Hello there," a middle-aged woman with short red hair looked up from her work. She smiled but there was also a motherly look of concern that shown in her eyes as she watched the girl. "Can I help you?"

Ellie stuffed down the last remaining worries and cemented her resolve. "I'd like to see Lee Adama, please," she announced.

"Are your parents with you?" the woman questioned, eyeing the child with apprehension.

"No," Ellie went from nervousness straight into frustration. Now that her mind had fully accepted what was about to happen, she wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. "Could I please see Lee Adama?" she forced herself to keep a polite tone.

The woman narrowed her eyes at the girl then smiled softly. "Is he expecting you?"

"No," Ellie sighed with annoyance. "But it's very important that I see him," the girl prayed that she hadn't convinced her uncle to fly her several hundred miles for nothing.

The woman still looked wary, but relented. "Let me see what I can do," she stood and made a move toward the door behind her desk. Turning back again, she asked, "Can I at least tell him who it is that would like to meet with him?"

"Eleanor," the girl answered.

"Just, Eleanor?" the woman persisted. "No last name?"

"Nope," she shook her head and stood firmly in place.

Seeing that no further information would be bestowed upon her, the red-haired woman disappeared into the other room. Ellie finally relaxed her stance a little and took a deep breath. She glanced around the room again, trying to get some idea of her father from the things that were in his office. There wasn't much but she did notice a few pictures hanging on a wall behind her. She went to inspect them.

One was a large, black and white photo of a structure called the Space Needle. It was a pretty well-known monument in the city of Seattle, Washington. She'd never been to the state before but they'd seen it from the sky when Karl had flown them in earlier. Ellie had been surprised to find out that her father had been living just one state away from her all those years she'd been curious about him. Her uncle had found him pretty quickly, which made her wonder if her mother had known where he was too.

When Ellie heard a door open and close behind her, she froze. Her thoughts and the photo were completely forgotten. Suddenly, the prospect of coming face-to-face with her father was scary again. Her stomach felt like it was stuck in her throat as she slowly turned around. But, instead of seeing the receptionist and a man she hoped to be her father, she watched as an older couple entered the space and moved toward the front desk.

Her stomach settled again. She watched the couple as they looked around the office questioningly. Ellie thought she would be helpful. "She's in with Lee Adama," it sounded so odd to say his name like that. Even though she'd never meet him, she couldn't help but want to call him dad, daddy or any sort of other parental endearment. Calling him by name just didn't seem right.

The man and woman looked over at Ellie. The woman smiled genuinely, but the man held her gaze for a moment with a serious look upon his face. He had graying hair and hard lines along his face. Ellie thought he looked harmless enough and flashed a small smile his way. But she couldn't help the slightly uneasy feeling she got by the way he was staring so intently at her.

William Adama realized that he was staring at the girl. He didn't seem to care as he persisted. She smiled at him a second later and he felt the oddest sense of déjà vu flood him. There was something familiar about the girl, in the way she presented herself and in her awkward smile. It was her eyes, though, that really made him pause.

Laura stood at Bill's side and looked between the two of them. She got a strange feeling as she regarded the girl and her husband but she attempted to shrug it off and lighten the slightly tense mood. "Hopefully they're not meeting about anything too important," she finally replied. Another smile was aimed at the girl. "We've come to try and persuade Lee to join us for lunch," Laura concluded.

"He tends to be a bit of a workaholic," Bill added, trying to get over the weird feeling that had washed over him upon seeing the girl. He still kept a close eye on her as she walked toward them.

Ellie made her way back toward the desk and stood in front of the couple. The four-foot tall blond looked up at the old man. She smiled, knowingly. "So is… so _was_ my mom," the girl grew quiet again. Her mother's death still didn't seem real to her sometimes.

The child's comment instantly added to Bill's curiosity. But before he was able to open his mouth again the front door opened and a familiar face greeted him. The tall form of Karl Agathon stopped short just beside Ellie. He looked over to find his former commanding officer and the former president of the colonies staring open mouthed at him.

"Sir," Karl greeted the man politely as he glanced down at Ellie and tried to figure out what to do. Lee he'd been prepared to see, even talk to again. He certainly hadn't expected Bill and Laura.

"Karl, it's been a long time," Bill replied as he extended his hand and shook the one Karl offered in return.

"Ma'am," Karl nodded in Laura's direction. She returned the gesture with a small smile. The three of them had never quite gotten past what had been done to he and Sharon over ten years ago. Stealing one's child wasn't something a person got over very easily. "I see you've met the munchkin," Karl gestured in Ellie's direction.

"Actually," Bill eyed the girl again. "We haven't been properly introduced," he stuck his hand out toward her in offering. "My name is William Adama," he introduced himself.

Ellie's mouth dropped open. "Adama?" she whispered the name and looked up at her uncle Karl with a questioning face.

Karl nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder. He spun her back to face the old man. "I think it's polite to give a name in return, kid," he prodded her.

She had a feeling that she'd just been introduced to her grandfather, which caused a happy smile to grace her features. "Hi, I'm Eleanor," she finally replied. She extended her hand like the adults had done earlier. "Everyone just calls me Ellie."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ellie," Bill smiled for the first time and shook the girl's hand. He motioned to Laura and introduced her as his wife, which really didn't shock Karl too much. The two females shook hands as Bill regarded Karl again. "With all due respect, Agathon, she doesn't look a thing like you or Sharon," he noted. "She's actually kind of cute," the old man joked.

"Uncle Karl is my uncle," Ellie promptly informed the man.

"True," Karl nodded in confirmation.

"Oh," Bill's curiosity began to gnaw at him again.

Seeing a free moment, Karl bent down slightly to address Ellie. "Hey kid, I just got a call from Sharon and something important has come up. We need to get back right away," he informed her.

She jerked away from him. "We can't leave yet," Ellie stated. There was no room for compromise in her words. She'd just met her grandparents and she had no intention of leaving before finally facing her father.

"I'm sorry kiddo," Karl tried to further explain but the girl would hear nothing of it.

"I'm not leaving yet," Ellie forcefully maintained. A defiant furry reigned in her bright blue eyes.

"She's right," everyone turned around as the sound of another voice interrupted their conversation. Lee Adama stood just outside of his open office door and regarded the odd grouping of people in the room, one of which he never thought he'd see again. "No one is leaving yet," he added to his previous declaration.

Ellie watched him with wide eyes as he moved away from the door and came closer to where she was standing. He wasn't very tall, at least not compared to her uncle. Her mother hadn't been very tall either. She was starting to understand why her uncle always called her munchkin. She couldn't help but keep staring up at her father, in much the same way as her grandfather had done to her earlier.

He had dark hair, not like the light blond tresses that she'd inherited from her mother. His jaw line wasn't as sharp as hers either, another feature from her mother. In fact, everyone always told her she looked just like Kara. But there was one thing she instantly realized that she shared with her father. Ellie knew the second she looked into his eyes that they mirrored her own.

Lee briefly shook hands with Karl before he looked down at Ellie. His inquiring gaze regarded her. "I'm guessing you are the young woman who asked to meet with me?"

"Yes, sir," the girl replied shyly.

"So, what is going on here?" Lee was confused. He'd walked in on them all just in time to hear that Karl was the girl's uncle. He looked to the tall man with questioning eyes. "Why did you bring your niece here, Karl?"

"He's not my blood uncle," Ellie interjected. She shot Karl a look that said, I don't mean anything by that. He nodded in understanding as the girl continued. "He was my mom's best friend and I love him like an uncle," she further explained.

Several looks were exchanged around the small group of people. Most of them knew exactly who Karl Agathon had considered to be his best friend for years, outside of his wife. The child easily picked up on their realization.

"That's why I'm here, because of my mom," Ellie continued.

"Kara is your mother," it was Bill who dared to say the words. It was a statement of fact, not a question. He suddenly understood why he'd been so intrigued by the girl upon first laying eyes on her. Thinking of her eyes led him to his second thought; the one familiarity that he'd seen in her not related to Kara Thrace.

Ellie nodded. "_Was_ my mother," her sad voice relayed. "She died a week ago."

Bill and Laura looked saddened by the news, but Lee appeared as if he'd just been punched in the stomach. The feeling was worse than the shock he'd gotten upon hearing the news of Kara's marriage to Sam all those years ago. He'd actually been foolishly thinking that Kara was going to waltz into the office as well. He didn't realize how very much he'd been hoping for it.

Even ten years after the worst fight of their lives, he still held out hope that she'd come around. Or that he'd summon enough courage to just face her again. Now, in a matter of seconds, that hope of a reunion had been dashed for good. He would never see her again and all he could think was how very sorry he was for what he'd done. Lee was so distracted by his grief that he honestly hadn't predicted the second blow.

"I came here to tell you that she's gone and also to tell you that…" Ellie paused. She took a deep breath, steadying herself for the hardest part. There was no way to soften the blow. Blue eyes finally met blue as she found the words.

"You're my father."

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights _to Battlestar Galactica_, or its characters.

* * *

**The Long Way Home  
****Part 3**

By  
N. J. Borba

"I'm a pilot… still. Although, now I work for a commercial airline, based out of Southern Oregon," Karl sat on the sofa in Lee's office as he continued to fill in some gaps for the group that had gathered.

Lee sat behind his desk. He hadn't said a word since Ellie had revealed herself to be his daughter. No one was quite sure what to do, or say. Karl had decided to break the ice by explaining some of what had gone on the past ten years. Bill and Laura sat beside him of the sofa. Ellie had taken a seat in the chair closest to Lee. She hadn't said much either, just stared wistfully at her father.

"Kara settled there in Oregon as well. We wanted to stay close," Karl continued. "I tried to convince her to come and work with me, flying, just like we used to. She said it wasn't the same though, claimed it would be too boring running civilians from one city to another. She's right of course, but with two kids and a wife, it's good steady work," he admitted.

"So, she gave up flying?" Bill asked, glancing over at his still silent son. It had been a bit of shock when Lee announced that he was giving up flying. The younger Adama had never given a reason for the sudden change and Bill had never dared to ask. He was proud enough to have his son follow in his grandfather's footsteps.

"Mostly," Karl answered. "She's been with a search and rescue unit for nearly nine years now," he continued. "Kara's team mainly covered the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forrest, along the Oregon/California border. They were also often sent out to other areas along the west coast for special missions. Occasionally she got to fly in to the hard to reach spots," he informed them.

"She loved her job," Ellie added, directing her words toward the group of three on the sofa. "Mom didn't say it much but she was happiest when she got to help people, happier when she came home after flying," the girl glanced over at her father again, hoping to get some sort of a response from him. Lee was still staring off at some distant point on the far wall. Her shoulders slumped as she sat back in her chair.

Karl worked up the courage to get to the hard part. "There was a rescue down in Northern California about five days ago. They found two teenagers stranded in a narrow canyon. There was a pretty nasty snow storm so Kara was flying in to join the ground crew," he paused for a moment. "All we know is that there was some sort of malfunction and the plane went down. There wasn't much left of the craft, nothing identifiable," he concluded.

"How many years did she cheat death fighting the Cylons? And Kara goes down on a simple rescue mission," Bill shook his head.

"Accidents happen," Karl knew his words were hollow. He'd been trying to convince himself it was just a horrible accident for days, but it didn't help. It would never bring his best friend back. The quiet that had descended over the room was shattered by the ringing of Karl's cell-phone. Seeing it was Sharon, he decided to answer it.

The others in the room listened to his one-sided conversation. "No, we haven't left yet," Karl told his wife. He nodded his head. "Yes, I know you said it was important for us to get back," a pause. "Well, what we're doing here is pretty important too," he reminded her. Karl got up a second later and excused himself from the group. "Well, can you tell me what's going on?" those were the last words they all heard before Karl slipped out the door.

Laura and Bill were both surprised when Lee suddenly spoke up. "Can we be alone?" his voice was barely above a whisper.

"Who?" Bill asked.

"My… my daughter and I," Lee answered. His eyes finally focused in on his father. He gave him a pleading look. Bill nodded in understanding and stood. He motioned for Laura to follow him out of the office.

Ellie sat by quietly and watched as the two adults left. A short span of time after they'd shut the door behind them, the girl finally turned back to face Lee. She waited for him to make the first move. Ellie felt that she'd done her part, opened the door for him. Now it was up to him to make the next move.

"Did she tell you about me?" Lee began rather abruptly. He looked her in the eye for the first time since she'd announced her presence in his life. "Did she tell you that I was your father?" he asked.

The girl reluctantly shook her head. "No, sir," she nervously replied. "I didn't even know your name until uncle Karl told me today. I knew of you. I mean, I knew I had a father of course. I heard mom and Karl talking once about a big fight you and mom had before I was even born. She didn't want to talk about it though, ever. I tried to ask her a few times, about my… about you. But she got too upset and told me to forget about you," Ellie explained the best she could.

"And you accepted that?" Lee started to feel anger take over the initial grief he'd felt upon hearing of Kara's death. "You never pushed to find out who your father was? You didn't care enough about me to come looking on your own?" his voice had grown several octaves and was bordering on a yell.

Her eyes grew wide and slightly misty as his accusing words assaulted her. "I loved her," Ellie finally found her voice again. "I didn't want to hurt her. I wanted to know who you were more than just about anything. But I wouldn't hurt her to do it," she maintained. "I loved her," she repeated as a lone tear rolled down her cheek.

Lee's heart sunk as he realized what a fool he was. He'd just torn into a poor child who'd lost the only parent she'd known. He could see how much she was hurting and all he'd done was add to it.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, shaking his head from side to side. "I didn't mean to get upset with you. It's not you I'm mad at," Lee got up from his desk and made his way toward Ellie. He knelt down in front of his daughter and hesitantly put a hand on her knee.

"You're mad at her?" Ellie asked, brushing away another tear.

"No," he was surprised to find the honesty in his reply. Lee dug even deeper to find the further truth hidden within. It was one of the hardest things he'd ever admit. "I'm mad at myself," he finally revealed.

Ellie's hand moved to cover the one her father had placed against her knee. It was a small gesture on each of their parts, but it was something. They sat that way, silently, for several minutes. The girl had just about worked up the courage to ask more about what had happened between her parents, but she was interrupted. There was a quick knock on the door and a second later, Karl popped his head into the room.

Lee pulled his hand away from Ellie and stood. Karl looked down at his niece. "I'm real sorry kid, but that was Sharon again. She said it's important that we get home," he informed her.

"I want to stay," Ellie blurted out. She bit her bottom lip as she looked up at Lee. "I mean… I'd like to stay, if that's okay?"

He was torn for a moment as he looked down at his daughter. Lee had no idea what to do with a child. He really hadn't been around too many of them in his life. But when he looked at Ellie, he saw so much of Kara. He wanted to hold on to the girl just for that reason alone. He also saw an individual; a smart, confident young girl that he realized he wanted to get to know better. "I think I'd like that too," he finally answered.

"I don't know kid," Karl hesitated. He knew it wasn't right to keep them apart, that was why he'd taken Ellie to Lee in the first place. But he'd also made a promise to a very dear friend. Karl couldn't just walk away from that responsibility.

"Please," Ellie stood and made her way to Karl. She stood in front of him and smiled up at him with a grin she knew he could never refuse. "It's winter break now, so I could stay a few days before school starts again," she pleaded her case.

"She'll be fine here with us," Bill Adama's voice caused them all to turn around. He was standing at the door to Lee's office and had overheard the girl's desire to stay. Having seen Lee's agreement to it, which was a big step from his son's earlier silence, he wanted to help in any way he could.

"I don't doubt that, sir," Karl replied to the old man. "It's just that, Kara left me in charge of Ellie. She's my responsibility now," he explained his dilemma.

Lee moved so that he stood directly behind his daughter. He placed his hands on her shoulders. Ellie tilted her head back and grinned up at him. It was a look he'd seen on Kara's face a thousand times. A smile bloomed in the corners of his own mouth, revealing the first bit of happiness that he'd felt in a long time.

"Karl, I just found out I have a daughter," Lee began. "I'd like to get to know her, spend a few days with her," he implored the taller man. Lee looked Karl in the eye, a serious expression taking over. "Do you remember what it was like when you found out that Hera was alive?" he asked. "You missed out on over a year of her life." Karl nodded in recollection. "Well, I've lost over ten years of my daughter's life. All I'm asking for here is a few days."

Karl looked to Ellie again. "You really want to stay?" he asked. She nodded her head. "You think you'll be okay on your own, with them?"

Ellie rolled her eyes at her uncle. "I'll be fine," the girl assured him. "I know your phone number and address. I know where to find you if I need you," she informed him, looking far too grown up for her young age.

"Then I guess my answer is yes," Karl finally gave in, seeing no way around it. "You didn't bring anything with you though, no clothes," he reminded her.

"I'm sure we can find a few suitable things for her," Laura piped in, standing at the door with her hand on Bill's shoulder. Her husband nodded in agreement.

"Right then," Karl bent down and hugged his niece. "Call me," he whispered in her ear. "Any time, day or night. I'll be back here in a flash," he promised.

Ellie pulled away and smiled in acknowledgment. "Love you." She watched him exit the office then turned back to look at the three new members of her family. "So, what now?" she asked with a shrug of her shoulders.

"How about a late lunch?" Bill suggested, finally getting around to the reason he'd come to Lee's office in the first place.

xxx

Karl landed just a few short hours after he'd left Lee's office. The day's events still rattled around in his head as he spotted his wife waiting for him at the baggage claim area of the small airport. He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight. Since he had no luggage to pick up, they headed straight for the car.

"Where are the girls?" Karl finally asked as Sharon steered the vehicle away from the airport. It was late afternoon on a weekday, which meant there wasn't much traffic in the small town.

"With some friends," she replied.

He noticed she wasn't up for elaborating much so he sat back. He figured she'd get around to what was so important sooner or later. As he waited he realized that they weren't headed in the direction of their home. "Hon, you missed the turn off," Karl politely informed her.

"We're not going home," was all she offered.

The next several minutes passed by silently. But as soon as Sharon turned into the local hospital parking lot, Karl's heart began to race a bit faster. "Okay, now I'm worried," he announced. "You won't tell me what's wrong, where the girls are exactly and we just arrived at the hospital," he pointed out the obvious facts.

Sharon stopped the car and sighed as she looked over at her husband. She started to say something but then stopped herself. "It's better if we just go in," she gave him a look that asked for his trust. Karl nodded and followed her out of the car.

Several doors and a few long hallways later, the two of them stopped outside a room. "Now are you going to explain?" Karl asked.

Before he could press matters, a doctor made his way to them and addressed Sharon. "I'm glad you're back. You'll be happy to know that she's awake now. There doesn't appear to be any head trauma at all. The ankle is just sprained; it should be fine in a few days. We'll continue giving her fluids tonight. But I'd say she should be able to get out of here some time tomorrow," he concluded.

"Thank you," Sharon shook the man's hand and then he was off.

"Shar…" Karl was swiftly cut off by his wife as she opened the door to the room and shoved him in. She pointed toward a bed in the far corner.

His mouth hung open for several seconds but no words were able to form. He blinked a few times and even rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things. After the initial shock had worn off a little he rushed to the bed and marveled at the grinning occupant. Just one word finally managed to fall off his tongue.

"Kara?"

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights _to Battlestar Galactica_, or its characters.

* * *

My apologies for not replying to each review individually. I didn't really expect that many so I was a bit overwhelmed by the responses. Thank you to everyone who is enjoying this. I hope another part will be thanks enough for your kind reviews.

* * *

**The Long Way Home  
****Part 4**

By  
N. J. Borba

"You're alive," Karl stated the obvious as he stared down at his best friend, astounded.

"So I've been told," Kara replied with a weary grin.

He didn't wait for an invitation. Karl swooped down and embraced her without further conversation. Seeing her again after thinking her dead for a week was a shock, but at the moment questions didn't seem to matter. All he could concentrate on was the fact that she was safe. He pulled back a few seconds later and could tell that Kara was still trying to get her bearings.

"So, does this mean you're a Cylon?" he couldn't help teasing her. "How many times now have you come back from the dead?"

Kara shook her head and groaned at his comment. "Not funny, Agathon" she told him.

"Not funny at all," Sharon added as she moved closer to the reunion scene. She playfully swatted her husband's arm then turned her attention to Kara. "It's good to see you awake, and alive," she smiled.

"It's good to be alive," Kara agreed.

Seriousness reigned once more. "I saw pictures of the wreckage Kara; how the frak did you walk away from that?" Karl inquired as he and Sharon pulled up a couple of chairs and sat down.

"Well, I can tell you that parachutes are a good thing, broken radios not so much," Kara leaned back and closed her eyes briefly. "It's all still a little foggy," she looked up at her friends again. "I wandered around the forest for several days with a nice sized bump on my head. Then I twisted my ankle, sat down for a minute to rest. The next thing I remember is waking up here and seeing your ugly mug staring back at me," she smirked.

"Cute," Karl resisted the urge to sock his friend in the mouth.

"Apparently some hunters found her and carried her back to civilization," Sharon supplied some of the blanks in Kara's adventure.

"Yeah, well as much fun as this trip down memory lane is…" Kara sighed. She tried not to think too much about the last several days. Instead she focused on the one thing that had kept her going for days. "Where is Ellie?" she finally asked her friends.

Sharon glanced over at Karl, whose face turned slightly grim. He still believed that taking Ellie to see Lee had been a good idea, but he had no idea how exactly he was going to explain his actions to Kara. When she received no immediate answer, Kara eyed her friend dangerously and repeated the question.

"Where's my daughter?"

xxx

Lee stood, leaning against the door frame, and watched as Ellie pulled mounds of clothing from several bags. There were long sleeved t-shirts, sweatshirts, pants of all different colors and brands, a few packages of socks and underwear and two pairs of new shoes. The items took over the entire bed in his guest room. "It looks like they bought out the store," he remarked.

"I'm sorry, I tried to stop them," Ellie looked apologetic as she spoke. She regarded the clothing assortment and shook her head. All of her things at home hardly added up to what her new grandparents had bought her in a single afternoon. "I really don't need all this stuff," she added.

"I think maybe I'm the one who should be apologizing," Lee countered. "I should have gone with you. I think dad is a little excited about having a grandchild," he surmised.

Ellie glanced over at her father. She instantly took advantage of the opening he had just created. "So, you don't have any other kids?" she bravely asked. The girl watched as his eyes clouded over with a look of sadness, but it only lasted for a brief moment before a stony mask reappeared.

"No, I don't," he finally replied.

"Are you married?" her questioning was bold, but she stood her ground. They hadn't spoken much at lunch and then her grandparents had whisked her off to shop, while Lee had gone back to his office to finish up some important work that couldn't be put off. Ellie figured the only way she was going to get him to talk, was to ask questions.

"You certainly are your mother's daughter, aren't you?" Lee still couldn't quite say if that was a good or a bad thing.

She rolled her eyes at him and started to laugh softly. "That's the dumbest saying," the girl quipped. Her laughter was one thing Lee noticed that wasn't like Kara at all. She'd always had an exuberant laugh, but Ellie's was a lot like his. "Of course I am," she declared, just for the record.

"You're right," Lee nodded. He actually cracked a smile and was grateful for the presence of laughter that she'd brought to his house. "And no, I'm not married any more," he quickly informed her. "Now, how about some pajamas and then I'll tuck you in?"

The young girl logged his, _not any more_, away in her head for future reference. Then she looked up at him as if he were the stupidest man on the face of the Earth. "I'm not five," she replied in response to his tucking-in comment.

"Of course not," Lee agreed. He was at a loss. "Uh, how about I read you a bedtime story?" he ventured.

"I know how to read," Ellie replied a bit sharply. "Sorry," she quickly apologized. Ellie realized he was trying his best to make an effort, but it was painfully clear that he had no clue about ten year olds. She looked over the masses of clothing that still lay in a heap on the bed. "I don't think they got me any pajamas."

"Hard to believe," Lee chuckled.

"I guess I can just wear some sweats or something," Ellie started digging through the pile.

"You know what, hold on a second," he ducked out of the room.

She watched him go and wondered what he was up to, but decided to make herself useful by putting away some of the stuff her grandparents had purchased for her. There was a dresser to the right of the twin sized bed. She opened the top drawer and placed a few messily folded shirts in it. Just as she was turning away to grab some more from the bed, she noticed something in the bottom of the drawer. It was a photo.

Ellie picked the picture up and realized that her father was featured prominently in it. He was standing outside somewhere and had his arm wrapped around a woman with caramel colored skin. In her arms she held a small bundle of blue blankets. Ellie could just barely see the pale bald head of a baby peaking out of one end of the blankets.

"This should work." Lee stepped back into the room with one of his t-shirts in hand. He stopped mid-step as he noticed the picture that was in her hands. "What are you doing with that?!" he snapped at Ellie and ripped the photo out of her grasp. It was stuffed in his back pocket before she had a chance to say anything.

"I… I just found it in the drawer," Ellie stammered. "I'm sorry," she felt bad, seeing how upset he was. The girl couldn't help wondering about the picture and who the woman and baby were. She was curious and wanted to know more, but his harshness upset her a great deal and she didn't dare wish to prod him further.

"Here," Lee held out the t-shirt for her.

"Thanks," she softly replied. Her shoulders slumped as she sunk down on the bed with his shirt in her lap. Her head was down, avoiding looking him in the eye. Ellie didn't want him to see the tears forming in her eyes.

"Ellie…" he started to say something but stopped. "Goodnight," with that, Lee fled the room.

xxx

She tossed and turned for several minutes before glancing over at the bright red digital display of a clock on the dresser. It blinked back 2am at her before she turned over a few more times under the covers. With a huff of breath Ellie finally pushed back the quilt and got out of bed. She tip-toed her way out of the room and down the hall, planning to head downstairs to the kitchen for a drink of water or maybe a snack.

Half way to the stairs she passed by her father's bedroom door and paused when she heard a soft noise coming from within. She crept closer to his door and realized that the sound was something like a whimper. A few seconds later, it was accompanied by a soft sob. Ellie knew she shouldn't intrude but she just couldn't help herself. His door made no sound as she slowly pushed it open.

Ellie moved further into the room until she was standing at the edge of his bed. That was when she noticed the photograph that was clasped tightly in his left hand. At first she figured it was the same photo that she'd found in the drawer earlier, but upon closer inspection, she realized it was very different. Even in the low lamp light of the room she could make out the unmistakable vision of her mother.

The much younger version of her mom had her head ducked slightly and pressed against the chest of some guy that Ellie had never seen before. Off to the right of the couple she noticed another man that she did recognize. It was a younger image of her newfound father. He looked a little left out in the picture and Ellie wondered why.

"I'm sorry, Kara," Lee's sleep laden voice was barely above a whisper but it was enough to startle Ellie.

The girl stumbled backwards and ran right into the nightstand by his bed. She spun around just in time to watch as the lamp on the table wobbled and tipped over. Lee's eyes opened wide as he heard the clatter. He gazed upward to find his daughter standing nearby, looking down at him with wide eyes.

"Hey," Lee groggily greeted the child in a calm manner. It was not the welcoming Ellie had been expecting after toppling his lamp. She remained quiet but retrieved the lamp and put it back in place on the table. Lee noticed that she looked a little frightened. "What are you doing up?" he asked as he reached out to her.

"I couldn't sleep," the girl relaxed a little as his hand brushed against hers. She quickly explained about going for a drink, hearing him and coming into his room instead of heading downstairs.

"I'm sorry I worried you," Lee said as he shifted in the bed. The photo in his hand was placed face down on his night stand while he sat up straighter. Ellie remained quietly standing. "Have a seat," he implored the girl, taking her hand in his again. She obliged his command and settled down beside him on the edge of the bed. "Why couldn't you sleep?"

The girl just shrugged her shoulders in response.

"Let me guess," Lee ventured. "You're in a strange place and you miss your own room?" Not to mention your mom, Lee thought.

Ellie nodded. "Mom and I slept in the same room at our cabin. At Uncle Karl's I share a room with Helen because Hera is the oldest and gets her own room. I don't mind though, I like to share," she explained.

Lee could tell that she was putting up a brave face for his benefit. It was obvious that she wasn't used to being alone. For some reason he found that odd, considering how much Kara tended to go off on her own. He realized he really needed to stop comparing Ellie and Kara so much. The girl was in a strange house, a different room by herself and he hadn't offered her much comfort. In short, he'd been an idiot. It seemed par for the course when dealing with Thrace women.

"Can I sleep in here?" her question caught Lee slightly off guard. He knew he needed to learn a thing or two about comforting his newfound daughter. However, he certainly didn't know about the rules of a father allowing his young daughter to sleep in the same room with him, let alone the same bed.

"Please," Ellie looked over at him with raised eyebrows and one of the sweetest, yet saddest, smiles he'd ever seen. At that moment he decided not to think the decision to death.

He shifted over further, leaving ample room for her to lie down beside him. Ellie gladly accepted the silent invitation and snuggled down under the bed covers. The sadness faded from her smile as she turned on her side and looked over at him. "What's a Galactica?" she asked. He looked at her with confusion clearly etched across his face. Then he noticed that she was pointing to the embroidered stitching on the shirt he'd leant her.

"Oh, it's…" he frowned at her for a second before correcting himself. "It _was_ the last of the old Battlestars," Lee proceeded. "Your mom never told you about how she got to this planet?" somehow he found that hard to believe. It seemed Kara had cut more than just him out of her life.

"She just told me that there was a war and that you all had to find a new home," Ellie replied. "And something about an eye thingy that shot you to Jupiter," she added.

Lee tried not to laugh out loud at the girl's youthful summarization of events. "Actually, it was the _Eye of Jupiter_ that, for lack of a better word, shot us here. We thought it was a marker that would show us the way to Earth but it ended up being a gateway instead," he explained. "Your mom is the one who finally figured it all out. She got us here," Lee recalled.

Ellie was surprised. "She never told me all that," the girl wondered why that was as she laid back and stared up at the dark ceiling.

"Galactica was the ship we all lived on, all the military personnel that is. It was destroyed shortly after we arrived here, when the last of the Cylons found us and Earth. We managed to destroy them but it was Galactica's final battle. Your grandfather finally retired after that, though he has kept on as military adviser to the new international space program. He's helped design the new fleet of Battlestars," Lee concluded.

"So, what happened after the Cylon battle?" Ellie didn't know much about Cylons except that her aunt Sharon was one and that they'd fought them at one time. She had more important issues in mind though. "I mean, why did you and mom fight and stop talking to each other? You should have been happy right, after you found Earth and all that," she was confused.

His daughter's inquire was more than Lee could wrap his head around at such a late hour. He flashed the girl an apologetic smile. "I think we both need some sleep," he replied, hoping to ease out of the conversation.

Several minutes passed in silence and Lee thought that she had finally fallen asleep. That was until he heard her small voice from across the bed. "You loved her, didn't you?" she asked. Ellie couldn't get the sound of his earlier crying out of her head. Coupled with the fact that he'd been holding her picture. She needed to know at least that much.

"Very much," Lee's whispered reply came.

"But you hurt each other?" Ellie persisted.

"Very much," he repeated, though heavier with regret. "We both hurt each other a lot," he sighed. "But I never stopped missing her."

Ellie sighed too, wondering why adults were so stupid. "She missed you too," the girl revealed.

Lee felt his heart jump a little. "How do you know?" he asked warily.

There was a pause and Lee wasn't sure if she'd heard him or not. He closed his eyes, ready to allow sleep to take him away at last. But then he heard his daughter's soft voice speak one last time.

"Because some nights, I'd hear her crying too."

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights _to Battlestar Galactica_, or its characters.

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Thank you for all of the awesome reviews, I really appreciate them. I'm glad this is being enjoyed.

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**The Long Way Home  
****Part 5**

By  
N. J. Borba

"You what?!"

Karl cringed as he watched his friend practically leap out of her hospital bed. Even though she'd mellowed quite a bit over the years, he'd been expecting a nasty fallout for what he'd done. He and Sharon had managed to placate their short-tempered, and drugged, friend the night before. They'd fed her some shame of a story about Ellie staying the night with Hera and Helen at a friends place. Come morning, when they returned to visit her, Karl knew he had to come clean and tell her the truth. She hadn't taken it well.

"We thought you were dead," Karl lamely replied. He helped stabilize his friend as she stood by the bed. Her ankle was wrapped and the swelling had gone down but Kara still wasn't completely healed.

She looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "Which means she goes to you, Karl, not Lee," she reminded him. "He didn't care enough to be around when she was born, so…" she shook her head and frowned at him. Kara pushed him away and sat down heavily on the edge of her bed. "How could you go behind my back like that?"

"You know I've always thought Lee should have been told about Ellie," Karl maintained. "I know what it's like to have a child kept from me. And your little comment about him not being around when she was born isn't fair at all," he wasn't afraid to tell her what he really thought. That was a pretty strong basis of their friendship, to be open and honest with each other.

Kara was practically seething. She'd only focused in on his first comment. "So my 'death' gave you the perfect opportunity, didn't it Karl?" She pushed off the bed again and shoved away Karl's offered hand. Kara limped to the hook on the wall where Sharon had left some clothes for her.

"What are you doing?" Karl asked. "You're not due to be checked out until this afternoon."

"I'm going to get my daughter back."

"And tell Lee what?" he asked. "He's not just going to step aside; he'll fight you Kara."

She leveled an icy gaze at him. "He has no legal rights to her. His name is not even on her birth certificate."

"Because Sam twisted your arm, and you caved," Karl pointed out.

"Sam knew exactly what he was getting into. I told him the truth about Ellie and he still wanted to stay. He was a good man and he didn't deserve what I did to him," Kara sighed as she continued her task.

Karl took a deep breath. She was right about Sam. He'd stepped up and stuck by Kara, but that still didn't make what they'd done to Lee right. He had a right to know his own child and still did. "You didn't see him, Kara. When he asked to let Ellie stay with him, I could see the longing in his eyes. Losing ten years of his daughters life has not made him any happier with you, I'm sure. You're going to have to talk to him Kara, and I mean _really_ talk."

In the course of their conversation, Kara had managed to strip down and re-dress herself. Life on a Battlestar had pretty much made her comfortable changing in front of anyone. It just wasn't a big deal. Her ankle however, was a big deal. After balancing her self carefully on it for several minutes, the pain was too great to go forward. Instead she sunk back down on the bed.

"I can't," her voice faltered a little as she finally faced Karl again.

"Well, you're going to have to Kara," he maintained. "This isn't just going to go away. Ellie knows him now and I doubt she's going to give him up without a fight either," Karl pointed out.

Kara silently cursed the fact that her young daughter had the same spirited energy that she did. She shook her head, still in denial. "She's ten years old. She doesn't get a say in this."

An exasperated sigh escaped Karl's lips. "Would you listen to yourself? She has every right in the world to know her father." Karl looked down at his friend. He could see that she was growing weary of their encounter. He didn't know if it was from his words or the pain of her ankle, but he wasn't above playing off her slightly vulnerable position. "I think you're afraid," he declared.

"What!?" Kara stared at him with disbelief.

"Seriously," he continued. "I think you're afraid that he's still with Dee, that they've been married for all these years, happily. That they have a perfect house with a white picket fence, 2.5 kids and a dog," Karl pressed on, seeing the rage build in her eyes. "I think you're afraid that he's happy."

"You have lost your fraking mind, Karl," she snarled in reply. Her hands balled into fists at her side.

He knew it was a risk getting her so worked up. But sometimes it helped to get her upset to the point where she finally boiled over and spit out some semblance of truth. It was always a calculated risk where Kara Thrace was concerned. But it was one he'd taken a time or two before in the duration of their friendship.

"Are we okay?" he finally asked, allowing her a few moments to cool down. He didn't want to push her too far over the edge. He hoped he'd pushed just enough to get the thoughts bouncing around in that stubborn head of hers.

"Not by a long shot," Kara mumbled. Her tone was softer though and Karl knew that she wasn't entirely mad at him. She looked up at him and flashed a sheepish grin. "But you can start getting back into my good graces by cleaning up this mess you made," she suggested. "Please go and get Ellie for me?"

Karl shook his head. "No," he instantly replied. He watched as a sharp reply formed on her tongue. His words stopped her. "I'll go get Ellie and bring her back here because that's what I was planning to do anyway. I'll go this morning because I know who much she's missed you," he paused for a second. "But this is not my mess, Kara. You and Lee created this mess over ten years ago, and I think it's about time the two of you cleaned it up."

There were no more words exchanged. Kara silently watched him leave the room. She leaned back against the bed and closed her eyes, fighting with the warring emotions in her head. She wanted things to be like they had before, just her and Ellie. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't help wondering about Lee.

She hated to admit it, but what Karl had said was right. The possibility that Lee had moved on without her didn't sit well with her. Even though Kara had resigned herself to a life without him, she'd never stopped missing him. And she'd never stopped wondering if there could still be something between them.

It seemed she might soon find out.

xxx

"We'll tackle the dishes," Laura called out to Lee and Bill as she ushered Ellie into the kitchen.

Both men nodded in acknowledgment of her, not so subtle, exit. Lee glanced over at his father and could tell that the dish routine had been prepared by the elder Adama's. He shook his head in resignation then made his way to the back door. Lee opened it and held it for his father. He knew there would be words from the old man so he decided to step even further out of Ellie's hearing range.

Considering the lack of sleep he and Ellie had both endured the night before and the fact that he needed time to wrap his head around the idea of having a daughter, Lee had decided to take the day off. He'd woken up before her and called his office, allowing Ellie to sleep in a bit longer. Then he'd gotten a hold of his father and Laura, inviting them over for brunch. As much as he wanted to get to know his daughter better, he still felt a bit awkward around her and welcomed the buffer that Laura and his father provided.

"Well, we're alone now. Anything you feel like saying?" Lee prompted his father as soon as the door was shut.

William Adama tried his best to look innocent. "Not really," the older man shrugged.

Lee looked dubious. He wasn't buying the act for one minute, but he quietly shuffled across the stone patio. Eventually he made his way to the path that led down to the water. His father followed along and they walked silently, side by side.

In ten years time, Lee Adama had done very well for himself as a lawyer. He'd gotten the dean at Seattle University Law School to push through a degree for him. A lot of compensations had been made for the Colonial fleet's surviving civilization. After saving the planet from certain annihilation, the people of Earth felt it only fitting to offer up what they could in return for their lives.

With a degree in hand, all he'd had to do was pass the bar exam. He'd taken enough pre-law courses on Caprica, before heading off to War College, which meant he was able to study for a few months and pass with flying colors. The ease of his new life seemed un-ending as he resolved to make a life with his wife on the new world. And for a while it had been nearly perfect.

He'd built a house for Dee on Lake Washington, with a view of the city beyond. It wasn't a fancy house, just the basics of life with a few added extras here and there. After living for years on a Battlestar, just about anything with a foundation on the ground was exceptional. Lee's one specific requirement had been to build by the water somewhere. As much as he adored space and a canopy of stars above his head, he loved the water even more. It reminded him of growing up along the Yenza River on Caprica, playing with his little brother as they tossed and skipped rocks.

"I'm wondering," his father began as they neared the dock. "What you're planning to do now, about Ellie?" he clarified.

They both stepped onto the dock. Lee felt it gently swish and sway as they made their way along. The air was chilly, not surprising for a winter's day in the area. But thankfully there was no rain, not even a cloud in sight. "I knew there was something on your mind," he replied.

"Eleanor is your child, Lee," the old man began in a serious tone. "She has no other family now but us. I respect Karl and I understand his love for the girl and desire to do right by Kara's wishes," he paused. Lee knew there would be a _but_. "But, she is your daughter," he reiterated.

Lee turned away from the water and looked his father in the eye. "So, what? I'm just supposed to uproot her from everything she knows? Her school, her friends and family? Even if Karl and Sharon aren't blood related, you can tell how much Ellie loves them and their girls. They've been family to her longer than we have," Lee defended, even though he hated the reason why that was the case.

"Southern Oregon is not another world away," Bill pointed out. "It's actually a relatively short distance, all things considered."

"Which will make it very easy for me to visit her often," Lee quickly replied.

That wasn't the argument Bill had been trying to make. He was pretty sure Lee knew it too. "So, you're just going to abandon your child?"

"You did." Lee regretted the words the second they escaped his lips. He didn't mean to snap at his father or throw ancient history in his face, but he also didn't like being pressured.

Bill Adama lowered his head. "I know what I did," his tone was regretful. "I understand that I was a lousy father to you for quite some time. I've accepted that fault and I thought we'd moved past it, but all of that is why I'm pushing you now. Don't make the same mistakes I made," his father implored.

Lee sighed heavily as a million thoughts tumbled through his head. "We have moved past it dad," he wanted first to clear that up. His father nodded and flashed an encouraging smile. Lee felt unworthy of the old man's easy forgiveness. "I just… I don't know if I can do it again."

The old man rested his hand on Lee's shoulder and gave it a gently squeeze of support. "I know you're scared, son. This is different though," he spoke softly, remembering some of the worst days of their lives. "What happened to Ale…"

"Don't!" Lee pulled away from his fathers touch. He headed further down the dock.

Adama followed after the younger man. He spun Lee around and held his shoulders. "Look at me," he demanded. Lee obeyed, facing his father with tears in his eyes. "I know what it's like to loose a child, but life moves on. And I was lucky, because I got another chance with you, and for a time I even had Kara," he paused, thinking about the young woman he'd loved as a daughter. He hated that they still hadn't been on such good terms the last time he'd seen her.

"Some days, it's still so hard," Lee whispered.

"I know," his father agreed. "We get through it though, one day at a time. You have to be willing to open yourself up again. Eleanor is your child. She has your eyes, Kara's smile and, if I might add, my chin," he grinned proudly. "Even more than that, she has such a wonderful spirit. Most importantly, she is reaching out to you," Bill noted. "If you walk away from her you'll regret it for the rest of your life, just like I know you regret letting Kara go."

"What if she doesn't want to be with me?" Lee asked. "What if all she wants is weekend visits and summer vacations?"

"That's a risk you'll run, but it's one worth taking," his father relayed. "Anything worth having is worth fighting for, but it won't be easy. You have to put a lot into it if you expect to get anything back."

He knew his father was right. It would be hard, but Lee Adama was sick of taking the easy way out of things. So far it hadn't gotten him much, at least not what he truly wanted. He couldn't have the one thing he'd dreamed of all his life, but he could have what she'd left behind. More importantly, he wanted Ellie. Lee wanted to be her father; to love and protect her. He wanted a family again.

"Lee!" Ellie's voice carried across the yard to them, as if on cue. She was waving at them as she came running down the path, blond hair bouncing in the soft sunlight of a wintry afternoon. Bill and Lee set off back down the dock. They met up with her where the wood planks hit the grassy ground.

Lee looked down at his daughter and wished for the first time that she would call hid dad or daddy, anything instead of Lee. But his father's words echoed in his head. He knew they were true. It would take time for them to get to know one another and be able to interact as a real father and daughter. It wouldn't be easy, but he was finally feeling up to the task.

"Uncle Karl is back," the girl excitedly informed them.

The resolve in Lee's head, and on his face, faltered a little. "He's barely been gone twenty-four hours," he looked to his father for some sort of guidance. Bill looked just as confused by the turn of events.

"He wants to talk to us," Ellie told them as she grabbed Lee's hand and gently tugged him forward.

"Great," Lee retorted sarcastically as the three of them headed back toward the house.

xxx

"Karl," Lee greeted the man with little sincerity. He'd never disliked the man, though he did envy his lasting friendship with Kara. At the moment, though, he could do without the man's presence. "I thought we agreed to a few days, a week maybe," he pointed out.

The taller man was sympathetic to Lee's position but he knew that what he had to say would trump any worries about not getting to spend more time with his daughter. "We did but something's come up," he wasn't sure how to tell them the news. It seemed like ages ago that he'd been there to tell them of Kara's death, when in reality it had only been a day. So much had happened in such a short time.

"Do I have to go back now?" Ellie asked.

Lee felt a twinge of happiness by the fact that she sounded disappointed about the prospect of leaving so soon. Karl wrapped his arms around the girl and led her to the sofa in Lee's family room. He sat her down on his knee the way he'd been doing since she was old enough to hold her head up.

"There's something very important I have to tell you," Karl began.

"Good news?" Ellie looked hopeful, noticing her uncle's smile.

Karl hugged her and smiled brighter. "Actually, it's the best news," he finally replied. Looking her in the eye, his face grew serious again. "Ellie, your mom managed to jump out of that plane last week, before it crashed. She didn't have a radio and she was lost for a while out there in the woods, but she didn't die," he concluded.

Ellie's eyes grew huge as Karl's words sunk in. "Mommy's alive?" her voice squeaked excitedly. She looked around as if expecting to see her mom walk around the corner, into the room.

"Hey," Karl calmed her down, rubbing his hand along her back. "She's not here with me. Your mom wants to see you real bad but she hurt her ankle and has a bit of a bump on her head, so she was still at the hospital this morning. Sharon's going to take her to our place later, and if we leave here now we can be back down there to see her by dinner time," he explained.

The girl sported a face splitting grin as she held on to her uncle tightly. A few seconds later she scrambled down off of his lap and turned wide eyes toward her father. The grin slipped from her face and was replaced by an uncertain look. She bit down gently on her bottom lip as she went to Lee. "Mommy's alive," she told him, as if he hadn't just heard what Karl had told them.

Lee locked eyes with Karl. "You're absolutely certain?" he needed further confirmation before he'd allow his heart to entertain the idea. He still couldn't quite believe what he'd heard. Everything was happening so fast, he left like he was on a carnival ride.

"Saw her with my own two eyes," Karl assured him. "I got a heck of a tongue lashing from her too. It's Kara alright, alive and kicking," he chuckled.

Lee had good reason to believe that Karl's argument with Kara had been due to his having Ellie with him. He flashed the man an apologetic look before re-focusing on his daughter. He knew she was hiding her happiness due to worrying about how he would react. Lee finally realized that, even if she wasn't ready to call his dad yet, she'd already formed a bond with him. If last night was any indication, he had a feeling she wanted him to be happy. All he wanted was the same for her, which meant making the hard decisions.

"I guess you better go pack," Lee finally spoke, squeezing her shoulder softly. Ellie smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around him.

Bill Adama had done his best to stay out of the matter. He was thrilled to hear that Kara was alive and saw it as a wonderful opportunity to finally knock some sense into both of his wayward children. His throat cleared in a meaningful manner as he gave Lee a look that meant business. It didn't take the younger Adama long to recall the conversation they'd had earlier.

Lee directed his attention to Karl again. "You have room for an extra passenger on that plane of yours, Agathon?" he asked.

Karl stood and nodded his head in reply. "I kind of figured," he acknowledged.

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights _to Battlestar Galactica_, or its characters.

* * *

**The Long Way Home  
****Part 6**

By  
N. J. Borba

Eleanor Thrace wasn't about to let go of her mother. Not after thinking her dead for an entire week. Not after all the reassurances that Kara had already made. She wasn't budging. The child had been about as brave as possible under the circumstances. She'd gotten through the memorial, going through her mothers things and even traveling to meet her father. It wasn't such a surprise that she'd finally broken down upon seeing her mother again.

Kara held her daughter tight. She'd tried every calming trick she could think of, so she finally opted for a diversionary tactic. "Were you a good little nugget for Karl and Sharon while I was gone?" she asked the girl, hoping to at least get her talking.

"I thought you were dead," Ellie cried into her mom's shoulder. She pulled Kara closer.

At least she'd spoken, Kara thought as she tried to hold her own emotions in check. "I know, I'm sorry about that," she swiped away a few of the tears that had streamed down her daughter's face. "Come on kiddo, no more crying or you're going to get me started too." Kara was still trying hard to lighten the mood.

The little girl sniffed and pulled out of her mother's embrace just a fraction of an inch. She looked up at Kara, big blue eyes glistening with tears. "I missed you," Ellie buried her head again and sobbed.

That was more than Kara could handle. She couldn't stop her own tears from falling as she gently rocked her daughter the way she'd done when Ellie was much younger. "I missed you too, baby," she soothed. Kara had a feeling that her daughter was just as good at clamping down on her emotions as she was. Seeing her again, alive, had finally brought all the grief to the surface. Leave it to the Thrace girls to grieve in a completely backward manner, Kara thought.

Ellie's tears finally subsided a little. She leaned in and whispered in her mother's ear. "Lee missed you too."

Kara stiffened a little but tried not to reveal just how much the word's affected her. She looked up for the first time since Ellie had jumped into her arms. Her eyes instantly locked with Lee's. He was standing mere inches away from them. After ten years of trying to convince her self that she hated him, she felt her resolve start to break off in large chunks.

"Don't ever do that to me again," Ellie's voice started to lose its emotional edge.

Lee's gaze never faltered from her but Kara turned her attention back to Ellie. The girl was giving her the best I-mean-business face she could muster. Kara smiled for the first time in too long. "Yes, ma'am," she gave her daughter a mock salute. Finally seeing a window to lesson the tension in the room, Kara reached out and tickled the girl.

The child squirmed in her arms and finally relaxed a little bit more. Kara was grateful for that. The tickling slowly died down but Ellie remained rooted in her mother's embrace. Kara looked back up at the others gathered around. Karl and Sharon were keeping their distance, seated on a nearby sofa. Lee, however, was still hovering, barely giving her and Ellie room to breathe.

His stare was starting to unnerve her but she wasn't about to let him know that. Pride was a stubborn thing, which only seemed to get worse over the years. She finally decided to break the silence. "Sorry to have caused so much trouble," Kara blurted out the first thing that popped into her head. Then she mentally kicked herself. Ten years, and that was the best she could come up with.

At least it got a reaction out of Lee. He seemed to agree as he nodded his head. "Nothing new about that." He was surprised by how easy it seemed to just start speaking to her again after so many years.

They each studied one another for a long time. Kara noticed just a hint of gray at his temples, and the hair was an inch or so longer than he used to wear it. But he was still rather fit and muscular. He didn't look all that different from the last time she'd seen him. Kara knew he'd turned forty just under a year ago. She'd be there herself in a short time, but age didn't seem to matter. Lee Adama still made her stomach roll with anticipation. She hated herself for it.

Lee felt his gaze drifting to her hair because if he focused on her lips any more he was going to lose his mind. Blond locks curled just a little at the end of her shoulder length hair. He could still recall the feel of it in his hands, softer than anything the tough-as-nails Starbuck should have possessed. As wildly upset as he still was with her; he'd give just about anything to run his hands through it again. He hated the physical weakness she always managed to stir in him.

They both realized that physical attractiveness had never been their problem. It ran so much deeper.

"So, maybe we should all have some food and let the day's craziness recede," Karl suggested. Sharon nodded her agreement as they continued to watch Lee and Kara's silent inspection. You could practically cut the tension in the room with a knife. Karl wasn't sure if they were going to start laying punches or frak each other senseless. With the two of them, either option was possible.

"Good idea," Sharon stood. "I'll call in some delivery. I'm sure none of us are up for cooking tonight. The girls should be back soon, we'll eat and relax a little," she cautiously moved toward the kitchen, still eyeing the quiet couple in her living room. A silent Apollo and Starbuck had never been a good thing.

Karl stood as well, trying to figure out what to do. He wasn't sure if he should step in or just stay put. His decision was interrupted by the front door opening and closing. Then he could hear the energetic voices of his two young daughters. Both dark heads poked around the corner a few seconds later. They came to a halt as they noticed the full living room.

Their father stood between them and the others. "Did you two have fun with Mara and Shane?" he asked.

Helen nodded. "Yep," she answered.

Hera was not so easily distracted. She pushed around her father and was curious about the shorter, dark-haired man in the room. Then she spotted Ellie and someone else; someone she never thought she'd see again. "Aunt Buck?" the teenager asked cautiously. Helen joined her sister a second later to see what was going on.

"Well, if it isn't the Agathon nuggets," Kara grinned.

Both girls squealed excitedly as they rushed Kara, crashing into her and Ellie. For several moments there was a ruckus of light and dark heads, arms and legs. The reunion died down a bit as Lee watched the scene. He'd had a hard time seeing Kara as a mother. Now, watching her interaction with their daughter and Karl's two girls, he was jealous by how easy she made it look.

Karl pulled his kids off Kara. "Come on, let your poor aunt breathe," he gently nudged them toward the kitchen. "Help your mom get some plates and stuff for what ever she's ordering," Karl sent them out of the room. He watched Lee and Kara resume their silent stares. With a sigh he swooped down and plucked Ellie out of her arms.

"Karl!" Kara protested.

He ignored her and looked over at his niece. "Come on munchkin, you can help too."

Ellie gave her mother an uncertain look. She was reluctant to let her mom out of her sight, even if it was just to go down the hall. Kara was reluctant to let her go too. Not just because she'd missed the girl, but also because of the nice buffer she provided between her and Lee. When she realized how selfish that was, she nodded reassuringly for Ellie to go.

Alone at last. It was going to be up to one or the other of them to finally break the spell. Kara had reason to believe that Karl would keep every one away until they actually said something to one another. So, she summoned the will and laid herself out on the line. She realized the inevitable would have come to her sooner or later.

"I guess we should talk?" Kara offered, even though she'd rather face a dozen Cylon Raiders at the moment.

Lee shook his head. "Not tonight, Kara," he responded.

"What?" she was a little confused. Lee was generally the one who wanted to talk things out.

"I don't want to argue with you," he clarified.

"I said talk," Kara reiterated. "Who says we'll argue?"

He was trying hard not to raise his voice. Knowing she wasn't dead was a relief and seeing her again made his heart jump but none of it mattered compared to what she'd done. "You've been keeping my daughter from me for ten years, Kara. We're going to argue," he assured her. "But not tonight. Tonight you need to rest and Ellie deserves some peace and quiet as well," he concluded.

She hated him for his thoughtfulness. If he would just blow up at her she'd know what to do. "So, then I guess we make small talk," Kara tried not to laugh at her absurd idea. Then a slightly jealous and rather petty thought entered her head. "How's Dee?"

"How's Anders?" Lee shot back instantly.

"Right," Kara dipped her head. She'd almost forgotten that they knew how to fight with words just as well as with punches. "Small talk was never really our strong suite."

He nodded. The silence resumed.

xxx

Lee made his way down the hall toward the bathroom. He'd been assigned to bunk on the sofa in Karl and Sharon's living room. Kara and Ellie were sharing Helen's room and the Agathon girls were in Hera's. So, he hadn't been left with much else as an option. He could have very easily opted to stay in town at a hotel but he wanted to be close to Ellie and, if he allowed himself to admit it, Kara too.

"Were you scared out there?" Lee paused in mid-step when he heard Ellie's soft voice.

He took another step forward and snuck a glance into the room where his daughter was staying with Kara. The door was open about half way and Lee could see Kara leaning against the upper rail of the bunk beds. Ellie was sprawled out on the top bunk looking over at her mom. He'd quickly come to realize how much Ellie loved her mother, but seeing them together was a different story. They were so close. And he hated the jealous feeling in the pit of his stomach that arose when he watched them.

"I wasn't scared to be alone," He listened to Kara's reply and watched as she brushed a bit of hair away from Ellie's face. "I didn't care about the dark or that it was really cold. I wasn't even scared of the wild animals I heard at night."

"Because you're the bravest mommy in the world," Ellie grinned.

Kara shook her head. "No baby, I _was_ scared," she admitted.

"Of what?" the girl cocked her head in wonder. She couldn't imagine anything that her mom would be afraid of.

A gentle hand ran tenderly along Ellie's cheek. Kara regarded her child, trying not to think about the past week. But she did want to be honest with her daughter. "I was scared that I'd never see you again," Kara finally revealed.

Ellie smiled with a playful look in her eyes. "I love you."

Thankful of the distraction, Kara scrunched up her nose and did her best to look doubtful of her daughter's statement. "Really?" Her arms crossed over the bunk's rail. "How much do you love me?" she prodded.

The girl glanced up at the ceiling for a moment, looking like she had to think hard about the answer. Her eyes returned to focus on her mom. "I love you all around the Earth and back," she declared with a grin.

"That's all?" Kara feigned a hurt look. She stuck her bottom lip out in an exaggerated frown.

Lee felt his face transform into a smile. He couldn't help the happy feeling he got from watching their banter. It was very clear that this was a routine that they'd gone through a few times before. Once again, Lee found himself jealous of the relationship Kara had with Ellie. He hated that he didn't have that bond with her. He hated Kara for taking that from him. But at the same time, he loved watching them.

"No, that's not all," Ellie gave in. She put a finger to her lips. A few seconds of pondering later, her eyebrows arched and the smile returned. "I love you all the way to the moon and back!" she triumphantly amended.

"Hmm," Kara pondered the declaration. She finally nodded her head. "I guess that's enough," she gave in.

Ellie chuckled but quickly resumed her part in their game. "How much do you love me?"

"Well, let me think," Kara paused for dramatic effect. She couldn't draw it out too long though. "I love you around the Earth, to the sun and all the way to the twelve Colonies and back," she finally revealed.

"That's a lot," Ellie agreed. She liked the game they often played but it was over too soon at the moment. The child wasn't nearly ready to let go of her mother yet. Another idea quickly entered her head. "Will you tell me the story tonight?" she asked.

Kara felt her energy dropping away by the minute. "I don't know kiddo; I shouldn't be standing like this much longer."

"Please," Ellie begged. "You can lay with me," she offered, looking over at her mom with wide blue eyes.

There was no getting out of it, especially when the eyes came into play. Kara agreed to the offer but opted for Ellie to come down and lay with her on the bottom bunk since it was bigger and easier for her to climb into with a sore ankle. Lee stepped away from the door while they moved around. He didn't want to be spotted by either of them. He knew he shouldn't be intruding on their private time, but he just couldn't seem to stay away.

Lee watched as they snuggled up together and felt another pang of envy grip him. Just one night ago, Ellie had shrugged off his attempts to tuck her in or read her a story. She'd made a show of being too old for such things. It seemed she wasn't too old when her mother was around. Lee sighed dejectedly and leaned against the wall. He listened to the story that Kara began to tell.

"Once upon a time…" Kara started off with the traditional opening of all the Earth fairytales she'd read to Ellie over the years. "There was a beautiful princess who lived on the moon. She protected the Earth during the night, lighting the way for ships on the sea and travelers in all dark places."

"Was she lonely up there?" Ellie asked.

"She was," Kara continued. "What she didn't know, though, was that there was another lonely soul in her universe."

"I know who," the girl grinned.

Kara glanced over at her daughter. "Hey, who's telling this story?"

"Sorry."

They settled back down. "What she didn't know was that there was a handsome prince who lived on the sun. The prince guarded over the Earth during the day. He shone down brightly so that plants and animals and Humans could live and grow. Only the Earth knew how lonely the two of them were. So, the Earth decided that they should meet one another. She knew that they'd be happy if they just got to know one another."

"Did they meet?" Ellie asked curiously, as if she'd never heard the tale before.

"Well, it wasn't easy," Kara continued. "During the day, Mother Earth would tell the sun prince about the moon princess. And at night, she'd tell the princess about the prince. After just a few days, the prince and princess were so excited about meeting one another. They just knew that if they could be together at the same time, they'd be friends for sure."

"So, did they meet?" Ellie persisted.

"Well, they certainly tried," Kara went on. "But the princess couldn't see the sun prince because he only came out at daybreak, and the prince couldn't see her because she was always gone before he woke up."

"It's so sad," the girl whispered.

Kara nodded. She still couldn't remember how the story had first come about in her head, but she knew her daughter loved it. "Mother Earth thought it was sad too. She thought long and hard about what to tell each of them about how they could meet. One day the answer finally came to her. They needed to find a light."

"But the sun _is_ a light, and so is the moon," Ellie pointed out as a yawn emitted from her mouth.

"Yes, you are very smart," Kara told her daughter. She watched as the child's eyes grew heavy and closed. "But when the prince stood upon the sun he was blinded by it, and the princess could not see because the moon was too dim when she stood upon it. So, Mother Earth told them both to look for a star to guide them. A star called Polaris. She told them it was the brightest star in the sky and if they both found it, its light would lead them to a place where they could finally be together."

Kara looked over and realized that Ellie was asleep. She was grateful that the girl always managed to drift off around the same point in the story because she'd never been able to think up a suitable ending to the tale.

"Lee, you still out there?" his ears perked up as he heard Kara call to him. He cautiously stuck his head into the room.

"How did you…"

She rolled her eyes at him. "You should know better than to ask," Kara remarked. "You should also know it's not very nice to eavesdrop on people's private conversations," she added.

Lee shrugged a semblance of an apology as he stepped a little further into the room. He noticed the sleepy girl curled up at her side. "Do you want me to put her in the top bunk for you?" he asked.

Kara shook her head. "She can stay here tonight."

"Okay," Lee shifted uncomfortably as he stood in the middle of the room. "So, I guess…" There was so much he wanted to say to her but nothing would come out right in his head. He sure didn't trust his mouth to form the thoughts into any sort of coherence.

"Not tonight," she reminded him of his earlier words.

"No, not tonight," Lee agreed. He watched her and Ellie for another few seconds then turned toward the door. Facing away from her, he paused at the exit and sighed heavily. "Goodnight, Kara," he finally whispered.

"Goodnight, Lee," she softly replied.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights _to Battlestar Galactica_, or its characters.

* * *

Sorry this part took a while to get posted. Thank you all so much for your continued support of this story!

* * *

**The Long Way Home  
****Part 7**

By  
N. J. Borba

By the end of her second day at hotel Agathon, Kara was starting to go stir crazy. Karl and Sharon had welcomed all three of them to stay as long as they wanted but, with her ankle practically healed, Kara was ready to go home. The following morning, Lee agreed to drive her and Ellie up to their cabin. She wasn't at all thrilled by the prospect, but she reluctantly agreed.

The drive took close to a half hour from the city. Ellie kept up a stream of words the whole time, explaining about all the things they passed, for Lee's benefit. Kara remained silent as she listened to them interact. Her daughter had certainly taken to him quickly. Kara couldn't help feel a little jealous by that fact. For so many years it had been just the two of them.

She and Lee had managed to turn his, _not tonight_, vow into nearly two days worth of successful avoidance. They'd spoken a few words here and there the last few days. But they'd yet to approach the important topic of the child that they'd created together. Kara had a feeling that the first second they were alone, all of that would change.

Lee followed Kara's brief driving directions, trying not to think too much about how she kept avoiding eye contact with him. As he turned onto a long gravel drive, his mind flashed back to the night they'd spent together under the stars of New Caprica. Everything had seemed so perfect in that vacuum of time. She'd told him about her plans for a place in the woods and he'd pictured a small house that was messy beyond belief. Lee had only ventured to her place in Delphi once and that had been enough. He wasn't sure what to expect as they headed up the hill.

Twenty minutes later, the jeep was parked and he'd been given a whirlwind tour of the cabin. Lee found himself presently surprised to find the place well kept. It was on the small side, but comfortable. The house was constructed of cedar logs, which he imagined were from local land. It was a singe-story structure with a wrap around porch. The interior housed one bedroom, a small bathroom and the great room. A large stone fireplace stood as a divider in the great room, creating distinct kitchen and living areas.

The décor was simple; a few throw pillows lined a comfy looking sofa. A couple of afghans were draped over chairs and billowy curtains covered the windows. "It may not look like much, but it's all we need," Kara told him as they'd entered. He didn't see a reason to argue. Lee knew Ellie to be a clean, and well-mannered, child. There was no evidence of her being neglected in any way.

After they'd all put their things away and Lee was awarded another sofa to sleep on, Ellie went off to wash up before lunch. Lee quickly learned that his daughter was the neat one of the two. It seemed she took after him in that regard. So, he and Kara found themselves standing outside on the backside of the windowed-in porch, where they'd laid out lunch. Sharon had packed a feast for them, figuring there wouldn't be much of anything up at the cabin. They had enough food to last a few days if needed.

Without Ellie as a buffer, they'd once again slipped into silent mode. Not being able to stand it any longer though, Kara made the first move. She did her best to ease her way into a conversation. "So, Seattle?" the words rolled off her tongue without any real direction. "Doesn't it rain a lot up there?"

"It does," Lee agreed. He leaned his left shoulder against a post and stared out at the wooded surroundings beyond. "I don't notice it so much any more. It's been a nice place to settle," he added.

"Yeah, I hear you've really settled too." Kara didn't know why his new life made any difference to her at all. They'd parted ways ten years ago and as far as she was concerned, he was free to live any way he chose. "No military life? No flying career?" she couldn't help pressing. At least it meant deferring the part of the conversation where she had to hear about his life with Dee.

"I'm a lawyer," Lee evenly replied.

"I guess I can see that in you…" It wasn't a lie. She knew the Admiral's father had been a lawyer. Adama had spoken of the man once or twice in the course of their time on Galactica. And Lee had always had a certain flare for diplomacy. He'd snuffed out a lot of arguments as CAG and he'd been a great Commander on the Pegasus, so it really seemed a sensible career for him. There was just one thing she couldn't quite get past. "But you loved flying."

"So did you," he countered, shifting his position so that he was facing her.

She nodded in agreement as the corners of her lips curled upward a fraction. Kara could never keep the smile from her face at the thought of getting to soar above the clouds. Flying amidst the stars would always be preferable, but she hadn't done that in over ten years. "I still manage to get up there, occasionally."

"Apparently not as well as you used to," Lee had meant the remark to be taken as a joke rather than a dig, but the look on her face told him it hadn't been received well. He felt bad for bringing up that memory so soon after the ordeal she'd been through. It seemed his mouth had a mind of its own some times. He just couldn't help but fall back into an argumentative pattern with her.

"So…" even with his previous misstep of words, Lee dared to tread in the deeper waters. "Are we ever going to get around to the real topic here?" he finally asked. "Or are we just going to be stuck in this lopsided orbit for the rest of our lives?"

Kara was instantly on the defensive. Her stance straightened sharply as she looked him in the eye. "Ellie's staying here, with me," she proclaimed. "I'm her mother and I've raised her since birth. I'm all she knows."

Lee felt his anger start to surface but he did his best to clamp down on it. He pulled away from the post and crossed his arms. "I hate to ruin your exclusive little life here, Kara… but she knows me now too," he pointed out.

She scoffed. "For all of about three days?" Kara shook her head. "She doesn't know you as anything other than a sperm donor."

"That's not true!" Lee shouted, allowing the anger to finally take hold. He'd said they'd argue and he was right. "She does know me. You've seen us the past few days. She smiles when I'm around, she hugs me," he pointed out. "That's a hell of a lot more than just sperm playing a role in her life."

"Well, that's great, Lee," Kara snarled. "But where were you when she woke up every three hours in the middle of the night? Where were you when she was teething, when she took her first steps and spoke her first words? Or when she fell out of the tree house and broke her arm?"

"I was about 500 miles directly north of you, completely oblivious to the fact that I even had a daughter!" Lee shouted. "And why is that? Oh, yes, because of you Kara. Did you forget the part about how you completely forget to mention our child to me? Makes it a little hard to be around, don't you think?"

"You know why you weren't around, Lee," Kara clung to the anger because she feared the desperation that lurked just behind it. "You played your part in all of this."

"And I was completely alone in what went wrong between us?" he asked with disbelief. "You played your part too Kara. Or did you conveniently forget about how you couldn't even stay faithful to your husband? How the frak was I meant to devote my life to a complete screw up? How am I even supposed to know that Ellie's really mine?!" the words came out in an angry jumbled mess.

Kara was too angry for further verbal sparring. She reacted the only way she knew how. Her hand launched forward and slapped him hard across the left cheek. Lee spared no time in returning the gesture.

"Stop it!" They both stood rooted in place as the angry voice of their daughter cried out from behind them. Kara and Lee both turned toward their upset daughter. But before either of them could say a word, Ellie took off through the back door.

"Ten years," Kara mumbled. She held her stinging cheek as she glared over at Lee. "Nice to see nothing's changed between us." She made a move to go after her daughter.

Lee reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her for a second. "I apologize, Kara. What I just said was completely out of line and I know that she's mine." He wanted to prove that ten years had made some difference for the better. "But you're wrong, Kara. Everything _has_ changed," he told her. Lee dropped her arm and hung his head. "We're not just hurting each other any more," he concluded as he walked away from her.

xxx

Mother found daughter, holed up in her tree house, a few minutes later. Kara had roped Karl into helping her build the structure as a special surprise for the girl's double-digit birthday. It had quickly become a favorite place of Ellie's. They'd picked a small cleaning of forest about ten yards from the cabin, far enough to have some privacy but close enough for Kara to keep tabs on her. A couple of sturdy old cedar trees were the basis of the two-story structure, which was quite elaborate for a kids play house.

Kara took two steps up to the main level of the tree house and stepped through the door. They'd built it for adults to easily maneuver as well, except for poor Karl. It would've had to have been the skyscraper of tree houses to fit his tall form. As it was, Kara was just barely able to stand up straight. She went to the hatch in the floor, opened it, took a few steps up the later and poked her head through the hole.

She spotted Ellie in her favorite spot, the window seat. It was high enough to see the cabin and just the very smallest view of the Rogue River that ran across the back half of their property. "Are you going to make me climb up there?" Kara asked. Her ankle was almost back to normal but she was still taking it easy, as tough as that was for her.

The child was silent but stood and walked toward the opening. Kara moved out of the way and allowed the girl to climb down from the second floor. Ellie made her way across the space and settled on the bench swing that took up most of the main level. Kara watched her daughter sit down on the old swing that used to hang on the front porch.

Sam had built the swing as a present for their house warming, just six months before Ellie's birth. Kara listened to chain creak in time with Ellie's shoes as the child dragged her feet across the floorboards. The girl's face was turned toward the ground, not daring to look up at her mother. The temperature had warmed a few degrees as afternoon approached, but Kara could still feel a slight chill in the air between them.

She finally sat down beside her daughter and listened as the worn swing groaned a little under the added weight. Kara produced a wrapped ham and cheese sandwich from her jacket pocket and held it out to the girl, as a sort of peace offering. She was about to break the silence when she heard Ellie's voice.

"I'm sorry," the girl spoke softly.

Kara's heart sunk at the sad tone. "Eleanor," she shifted so that she was seated sideways in the swing; her body turned toward the child. The sandwich fell to her lap as she gently rested her hands on the girl's shoulders. She lifted the girl's chin and made Ellie look up at her. "You have nothing to be sorry for," Kara insisted.

"Yes I do," Ellie nodded her head and tried to look away. "If I'd never gone to find him, or if I hadn't asked Uncle Karl to tell me about him," she lamented. "Then maybe everything would be just like it was before," she explained her reasoning.

Kara sighed and shook her head. "And would that have been okay with you, kiddo?" she posed the hard question. "Do you really think you could've been happy without ever knowing your dad?" Kara asked, even though she was almost sure of the answer already. Ellie had been asking about her dad for a long time. Kara knew that sooner or later she would've had to explain it all to the girl.

She was almost grateful for the way it had finally come about, except for the fact that she was suddenly forced to confront her feelings for Lee head on. In ten years time she hadn't managed to stop thinking about him or wondering about what he was up to. He'd made his choice and she'd respected that; did her best to completely disappear from his life. But she'd always wondered about the what-ifs. Only thoughts of Dee and the family they mostly likely had, kept her from ever getting in touch again.

Now that Lee knew about their daughter, Kara worried about what would happen. She knew that their earlier tiff was just the tip of the iceberg in trying to work it all out. She didn't know if they _could_ work it out. Kara really did want to try and be civil, but she just couldn't figure out how to stop falling into all the same arguments with him.

Ellie fought with herself for a minute over the answer, not wanting to cause any more trouble. She bit down gently on her bottom lip and looked up at her mother again. "I like him," the girl revealed. There was nothing but silence for a while and she worried what her mom's reaction would be.

Kara felt her heart sink into her stomach. For the first time she finally realized just how wrong she'd been to keep Lee from his daughter and Ellie from her father, even if she thought she'd been doing the right thing. "I know you do," she acknowledged. "It's okay to like him, Ellie," Kara assured the girl. "He's your dad and he loves you. Lee will be a good dad to you," she honestly believed her words. Kara knew that, whatever happened between the two of them personally, he'd make Ellie a part of his life.

"But not a good husband for you?" the girl bravely ventured.

"Ellie," Kara warned. She exhaled, released her hold on the girl and slumped against the hardwood swing.

The youngster let out a frustrated sigh. As soon as she was free of her mother's grip, she beat her fists against the swing's rough edge. "How could you have a kid together and hate each other so much?" she just couldn't understand it.

"A lot of parents don't live together, you know that," Kara spoke softly as her mind drifted back over the years. She and Lee had been through so much; good and bad. The bad always seemed to outweigh the good but it never ceased to change one thing. Ellie wasn't completely correct. "I don't hate him," Kara whispered.

"Then why do you fight?" Ellie relaxed her body a little. Fists unclenched and hands came to rest in her lap and she leaned back and laid her head against the swing in very much the same manner as her mother.

Their heads were just a few inches apart as they sat there and stared at one another; so much alike and yet, so very different. "I don't know kid," Kara tried to find some sort of reasonable answer for the girl but found herself lacking. "We're just too different I guess." She grabbed the sandwich in her lap and offered it to her daughter again.

Ellie accepted the sandwich but looked doubtful of her mother's words. "Or maybe you're too much alike, too stubborn," the girl suggested. Kara grew quiet and didn't reply. Ellie let go of the topic and chewed a few bites of her food before glancing over at her mom again. "I have to tell you something."

"What?" Kara turned her head toward the girl.

"You'll be mad," Ellie forgot about her half-eaten sandwich as she faced Kara.

Seeing that the girl wasn't eating, Kara took the sandwich and bit into it. "I won't be mad, promise."

"I took all your paintings down," the child revealed.

Kara nodded, chewing slowly. "I noticed," she waited for the girl to continue.

Ellie bit her bottom lip nervously and tried to work up the courage for an explanation. "I was upset and I didn't want to see them, they reminded me too much of you," she concluded.

Kara shrugged. "It's okay."

"I took them outside, down to the river bank. Uncle Karl left me alone inside for a while to pack and I slipped out the back. I left them by the fir trees," Ellie further confessed. "They probably all got ruined."

Kara sat up straighter. "Ellie, first of all, you know you're not supposed to go down to the river by yourself," she tried her best to be stern but felt her resolve slip as the girl's eyes began to fill with tears. "Hey, the paintings don't matter," Kara insisted. She discarded the sandwich and pulled her daughter closer, wrapping her arms around the child. "All that matters is you and me, back together again," she whispered in Ellie's ear.

"And Lee too?" Ellie couldn't resist one last push.

Kara pulled out of their embrace and handed over the sandwich again. She had to give the girl credit for her persistent nature, Ellie was plenty stubborn too. But Kara couldn't think of a suitable answer for her daughter that didn't contain over ten years worth of fraked up history between her and the Adama's. So, they sat quietly, finished the sandwich and enjoyed the sound of a cool winter breeze rustling the tree branches.

xxx

Lee had taken a short walk to work out some of his frustration. The shady woods were quiet and calming. It wasn't quite the same release as his usual method of beating a punching bag, but it worked pretty well under the circumstances. He was still angry at himself for allowing Kara to push his buttons. Hitting her had been so easy, so reflexive. But it hadn't solved anything. It never really did.

Ellie's presence only added to his torment. He hadn't been entirely correct earlier. The cycle of pain that he and Kara were famous for pushing back and forth had affected people before, namely Dee and Sam. But hurting their child was a whole new arena that he did not want to enter into. He and Kara needed to find some way to deal with each other that didn't involve boxing gloves. Lee just didn't know what that would possibly be.

As he made his way back to the cabin he spotted two people milling around on the front porch of the cabin. It didn't look like Karl or Sharon, which made him walk a little faster toward the place. He didn't know who else might be visiting Kara but his protective instinct kicked in. Upon closer inspection, the image of his father and Laura came into focus.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Lee asked as he bounded up the front steps. He turned his left side out of view as much as possible, but there was little he could do to hide the red mark that had surely started to form on his cheek.

Bill turned around to face his son. "I take it things are not going as well as planned?" the elder Adama commented as he reached out and deliberately turned his son's face toward him. Seeing the mark he'd been expecting, the older man groaned with disapproval.

Lee knew a protest of: she hit me first, would only garner him a greater look of displeasure from both his parents. "I wish I'd had a plan to mess up," he lamented. He switched tactics and greeted Laura with a hug.

She pulled out of their hug and examined his reddened cheek as well. "Obviously Kara has mellowed considerably over the years," she noted. "I was expecting a black eye."

The three of them heard footsteps from behind and turned to find Kara and Ellie standing at the bottom of the porch stairs. Kara had come to investigate what she'd thought to be the sound of a car driving up the gravel road. She figured it was probably Karl, come to check up on them already. Kara couldn't keep the surprise from her eyes as she regarded the two figures on her porch. They'd changed a fair bit in ten years time but not enough to be unrecognizable.

Ellie ran up to them and hugged Laura first then her grandfather. "Hi," she grinned up at the old man. She hadn't known them long but she already liked them. Karl and Sharon were the only family she'd really had aside from her mother. She loved them all dearly, but it was nice to finally have a father and grandparents in her life too.

"It's good to see you again, Eleanor," Adama smiled down at the child. He placed a hand on her shoulder as he looked back to where her mother was still standing. He recognized the look of nervousness on her face. "Never have known you to be speechless, Kara," he commented.

"Sir…" Kara's voice got caught in her throat. She was amazed by the commanding ability he still seemed to posses over her. Even with a head of completely gray hair and several more lines in his face, he was still able to shake her down.

She was expecting a lecture from him; anger, disappointment. What she got instead was a hug. Adama closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. It was a rather firm hug, but a hug nonetheless. Kara was frozen stiff as he whispered in her ear. "I'm not very happy with you right now," he honestly revealed. "But I'm glad to see you alive."

Kara wanted to give in and hug him back, warmly. She hadn't realized how much she'd actually missed him. They'd parted at a time when their relationship had still been a little shaky. Kara regretted letting that slip. She wondered if they could ever be close again. Kara hoped yes, but at the moment, she stood firm and regained her defensive stance. She glared openly at Lee.

"Ellie, why don't you take your grandparents inside and offer them some lunch," Kara suggested.

The girl wasn't happy about being sent off but she obliged her mother's request. Ellie took one of her grandfather's hands and one of Laura's and led them toward the cabin. Kara watched and waited until the three of them disappeared inside the cabin. She then resumes her silent condemnation until Lee couldn't stand it any longer.

"I swear I did not call them," he defended, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "In fact, I expressly told them to give me some time to deal with this on my own," Lee let her know.

"Right," she scoffed, folding her arms defensively across her chest.

"It's the truth," Lee maintained. He felt himself slipping over the edge again. "Of course I doubt you'll believe that because you don't seem to believe anything I have to say. And I'm not sure why I'm trying to be nice when you are the one who has kept Ellie away from me all these years!"

Kara gritted her teeth. "I did not keep her away from you."

He threw up his hands. "How can you say that?" Lee's exasperation felt redundant. He knew it had to be falling on deaf ears were Kara was concerned.

"You could have been in her life if you wanted, you chose not to," she explained the simplicity of how she saw it.

"This is ridiculous, we just keep going around in circles here," Lee sighed. He looked her in the eye. "Do you want me to fight you on this, Kara?" he asked, wondering if threatening her would do any good. "Do you? Because that can be arranged very easily…"

Ellie had slipped away from the house, telling her grandparents that she wanted all of them to eat together, as a family. Bill and Laura had hardly been able to try and dissuade her from such an innocent pursuit. She stopped short, though, when she found her parents arguing again. From her place behind a large old cedar tree, she was able to hear her father's raised voice.

"I'm a lawyer, Kara. I know a lot of important people, including judges who owe me favors. It would be very easy for me to take you to court and state my case. I could tell the judge how you have been keeping Ellie from me all these years. Hell, I could make up just about any slanderous thing I wanted and they would side with me. I'd have Ellie living with me in no time at all, and if I wanted, you'd never see her again…"

The girl's face crumbled as she took it all in. She covered her ears with hers hands and the tears flowed freely. Ellie slipped away from her hiding spot behind the tree and fled from her parents.

Lee shook his head. He hated the words, even though he hadn't meant a damn one of them. "But I would never do that to you, Kara," he assured her. "I see how much she adores you and how much you love her. All I want is that same chance to get to love her; to get to know her better," he implored.

"How can I trust that's all you want?" Kara countered.

"Well, that has always been the problem with you, hasn't it Kara?" Lee replied. "You never have been able to trust me, at least not enough to love me and share your life with me."

"How dare you?" Kara's voice rose again. "You walked away from _me_! I finally stood up and dared to let you in but you chose the easy life with your overly devoted, uncomplicated wife. You gave up all rights to be a part of my life!"

"Nice," Lee groaned. "So, this is you getting revenge?"

"Lee!" William Adama's voice rang out across the yard as the old man walked toward them. They both stood at attention, feeling as if their commander had just entered the room. Bill wore a frown upon his face and shook his head in a disappointed manner. He'd obviously heard some of their conversation.

"I really don't need a lecture right now," Lee returned defensively.

The elder Adama eyed him warningly. "I think you do," he disagreed. "But that's not why I came out here. I wanted to see if Eleanor had been able to convince the two of you to come and join us for lunch, and maybe some civilized conversation," Bill added pointedly. He glanced around the area then back to Lee and Kara. "Where's she gone to?"

"We never saw her out here," Kara was actually able to utter a few words in the old man's presence. She was more worried about what her daughter might have heard if she had come out to find them, like he'd mentioned.

"I don't suppose she might have been upset over your argument out here?" Bill voiced Kara's concern.

"She might have gone back to the tree house," Kara realized. "I'll go after her."

"I'll look in the house," Lee agreed as they scattered.

xxx

"She's not inside anywhere," Lee reported a few minutes later as he was followed out onto the porch by his parents. Laura looked worried. Bill's worry was clouded by the continued disappointment that shown in his eyes where his children were concerned.

"And she's not out at her tree house," Kara confirmed as she made her way up the porch steps. She'd dismissed her daughter's disappearance at first, figuring the girl needed some time alone. But Kara realized how right Lee had been. Allowing themselves to fight in front of Ellie had been beyond stupid. She knew enough from her own childhood how much parent's raised voices could hurt a kid. Kara had been kicking herself for it, all the way back from the tree house.

"Where else could she be? Where would she go, Kara?" Lee demanded.

"I don't know, uh…" Kara was starting to really worry. Then she remembered the conversation she'd had with Ellie earlier. "She might have gone down to the river."

Lee didn't look pleased. "And you let her go down there alone?" he questioned.

"No, of course not," Kara defended her parenting. "She was worried about something she'd done, some things of mine that she'd taken down there after I… after she thought I was dead." Kara thought she'd made it clear to her daughter that the painting weren't worth worrying over. She turned toward the river's direction, paused a moment, then spun around and looked over her shoulder at Lee. "Come on," she reluctantly called for him to follow.

He looked to his father. "Call Karl, see if he's heard from Ellie at all," Lee instructed as he took off after Kara.

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights _to Battlestar Galactica_, or its characters.

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Well, some things resolved here… plenty more to deal with. Thank you to the wonderful readers for your kind words. I hope you're still enjoying this little story.**

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**

The Long Way Home  
**Part 8**

By  
N. J. Borba

In an hour's time, Lee and Kara had hiked down to the river and back. They'd found the water rushing rapidly downstream, due to fresh winter snowmelt. They'd found the fir tree's standing watch, tall and proud along the river bank. And they'd even found half a dozen canvas paintings, worn down from a weeks worth of rain and icy conditions. But they hadn't found their ten-year-old daughter.

Kara spotted Karl as soon as she and Lee approached the front clearing of her yard. She silently thanked Lee for his foresight of contacting the man. If Ellie had headed down hill, Karl would have easily spotted her.

Worry spooled in the pit of her stomach as Karl shook his head. "I left as soon as the admiral called. But I didn't see her anywhere along the road on my way up here," he informed his friend.

"What about the girls?" Lee asked as he stood at Kara's side. "Is there any way Ellie might have contacted them?"

"She has a cell phone, in case of emergencies," Kara suddenly remembered.

"Does it look anything like this?" The three of them turned to find Bill and Laura coming to join them where they stood in a huddle near the front porch. The former president of the colonies was carrying a small blue cell phone in her left hand.

Kara nodded and felt her stomach tighten. Her hands balled into fists. Karl moved toward his friend and placed a hand on her shoulder. "The girls would tell me if they'd talked to her," his voice was low and filled with concern. "What did you find at the river?"

"Nothing," Lee shook his head. "We walked a short length of the bank but there was no sign of her."

Karl sighed. He really didn't want to tell his friend about what he'd discovered a few minutes ago. "When I got here I checked out the tree house again," he started. Lee turned curious eye's his way, so did Kara. "Her pack is gone, and this note was tacked to the wall in its place," Karl handed over the slip of yellow paper.

"Went to find help," Kara read her daughters scrawled handwriting. She looked to Lee and then Karl. "Help?"

Karl shrugged. Lee looked confused about something else. "What sort of pack are you talking about?" he asked.

"Ellie has a stash of survival gear and camping stuff that she keeps in the tree house," Karl explained, seeing his friend was growing more upset by the minute. "The girls use it mostly when they stay over on weekends and camp out. There's a thermal blanket, food, water, first-aid kit. At least she has some gear with her, wherever she's run off to," Karl concluded.

Realizing her daughter had indeed run off, Kara jolted into action. "If you didn't see her on the way up here, then maybe she went up the hill rather than down it," she took off toward the house before anyone could say a word in reply. Their silence was parted when she returned a few minutes later, a large hiking pack slung over her right shoulder.

"I'm going after her," Kara announced, jingling a set of keys in her hand as she took a step toward the jeep.

Lee reached out to stop her forward progress. She turned and glared down at the hand on her forearm. "I'm going with you," he informed her as he released his hold on her arm.

"I know the terrain, you don't," Kara tried to shrug off his obvious concern.

"All the more reason for me to stick with you," Lee insisted. "Look, Kara. I'm going after my daughter. I'll go alone if I have to but I'd rather be with someone who knows their way around the area," he pleaded to her with his eyes.

Kara could see she wasn't going to get rid of him so easily. "I'm banking on the fact that she's headed uphill toward one of her favorite spots, Crater Lake. The park is closed this time of year so we'll have to stop outside the gates, and it's a bit of a hike into the lake from there," she explained.

"I could use the exercise." He wasn't about to let her intimidate him.

"Kara, maybe you should contact your team," Karl suggested.

She shook her head. "SAR won't send out a team unless someone has been missing for at least twelve hours."

"In these conditions and considering who it is, don't you think your team might make an exception?" Bill chimed in. He and Laura were feeling vaguely useless. It didn't seem quite so long ago that it had been the two of them making all the major decisions for an entire fleet. Now they had very little input into helping find their grandchild. It felt good just to offer a supportive suggestion.

"Okay," Kara figured it was worth a shot. "You call them," she directed her words to Karl. "If Jackson agrees to send out a team, tell him to start with a five mile radius search pattern. She can't have gone too far in just a couple of hours," she hoped. "Let him know that I have my secondary radio with me. He knows the frequency. Have him call me if they find _anything_."

Karl instantly took off toward the house, which left Kara to deal with Lee. "So, we're wasting daylight right?" Lee asked as he stood before her, not budging.

Noticing that the sun was already starting its decent, she knew they wouldn't get far before night settled in on them. "Fine," Kara nodded in resignation. "Here," she tossed her keys to Lee, who caught them. "If you insist on coming along, you can make yourself useful and drive," she instructed. "I'll tell you where to go," Kara added as she slipped into the passenger side seat of her jeep.

"I'm sure you will," Lee mumbled under his breath as he quickly got into the vehicle.

xxx

Karl paced the length of Kara's living room. After calling her team and helping to get the search underway, he didn't have much else to do but wait. Thoughts of heading out there to help find Ellie had crossed his mind. But he knew that Kara and Lee would stop at nothing to find the girl. And he was needed by his family. They'd already gone through the trauma of thinking they'd lost Kara. He didn't want to entertain the idea of anything bad happening to Ellie.

"You'll wear a hole in the floor," William Adama came to join the younger man. Karl finally halted his step and they stood together beside a large window at the back of Kara's cabin.

"Are you here to take Ellie away from Kara?" Karl's question was oddly timed, but it provided a nice distraction.

"No," the old man shook his head adamantly.

Eyes narrowed as Karl contemplated that reply. "But when you thought Kara was dead, that was your plan wasn't it?" he dared to ask.

Adama knew the man loved Kara nearly as much as his own wife, though in a vastly different manner. Kara had wormed her way into all their hearts over the years. He understood where Karl's concern was coming from. "I felt Eleanor needed to be with her family, yes," he nodded.

"Even though I _am_ Ellie's family too?" Karl pushed a little more.

"It's not that simple."

Karl had to agree with that sentiment. "No, it's not," he sighed. Nothing having to do with Lee Adama or Kara Thrace was ever simple. They'd all come to realize that. "I know you're upset with Kara, about not telling Lee," he began again.

"I am," Bill quickly replied. "But I wouldn't take Ellie away from her for that. I don't think she kept Eleanor away from Lee on purpose, at least I don't want to think that. But, I am having a hard time understanding why," he honestly relayed.

"Well, sir, at the risk of completely pissing Kara off," Karl only wanted to help his friend, but sometimes that help came in forms she didn't much care for. "There is something I'd like you to know. I do not condone what Kara did, but you need to understand that she actually believed she was doing the right thing."

"How is that?" Adama questioned.

"Lee made a choice ten years ago, to stay with his wife, and Kara decided to finally give him what he wanted – even if it wasn't her," Karl explained. "When she found out about Ellie, she didn't tell him because she knew it would only cause a rift between him and Dee again. She just wanted Lee to be happy. As fraked as her reasoning was, she did what she did with the best of intentions in mind."

The retired admiral lowered his head. "Oddly enough, that sounds very much like something Kara would do," he grew quiet, remembering how harsh he'd been with her after New Caprica. He'd realized, only too late, that his handling of the situation had not been the best course of action.

He didn't know a lot about what had happened between his son and Kara. Frankly he didn't _want_ to know all the details. Seeing her hurt Lee had brought every thing about Zak back up for him, and he'd turned away from her again. But he'd never stopped loving her, or thinking of her as a daughter. It was all so complicated.

"What a mess," Adama sighed. He could only hope that his children would be able to finally put it all behind them. And that he'd get a chance to make amends with Kara.

"Yes, sir," Karl agreed with the old man's sentiments.

On the other side of the room, Laura watched her husband and Karl with a curious eye. She knew there was a lot of healing yet to be done, which caused her attention to fall upon the two young girls beside her. They were working on separate projects. Hera was writing something down in a spiral bound notebook, while Helen was using water colors to paint a picture. Both had dark hair and soft brown eyes. Both focused on their tasks with equal concentration.

"They're so similar sometimes," Sharon's voice startled the former president. Her eyes focused on her daughters. "And sometimes I don't see a shred of evidence to prove that they're sisters," she finally glanced over at Laura. "It's funny isn't it, how changing your perspective just a fraction can change the whole situation."

Laura knew an opening when she heard one. "Over ten years ago our lives were all very different," she began. "I took your child from you because I believed it was for the best. My intentions back then were for the good of an entire fleet. I had to make choices that no one person had ever been confronted with before." She looked to Hera again. "I realize how wrong I was and I live with that regret every day. I'm sorry for what I did. Maybe that's too little, too late. I'll understand if that's the case. But it seems we've all been thrust back together, as a family," her eyes flit from Bill and Karl, back to the girls again. "I would just like…"

Sharon cut the older woman off as she caught her eldest daughter's attention. "Hera, do you know who this lady is?" she asked, gesturing toward Laura.

The girl regarded Laura for a moment. "No," she shook her head.

"Her name is Laura Ros… uh, Laura Adama," Sharon corrected herself. "She…" There was a moment of hesitation before the right words formed on her tongue. She had every right in the world to hate the former president of the colonies. But when they'd landed on Earth, they'd all been given a new lease on life. And Sharon had sworn to forget the past as much as she could. "She used to be a teacher. I bet she could tell you a lot about Colonial history," she concluded.

The subtle words of forgiveness rang in Laura's ear. "History is one of my favorite subjects," she responded, directing her words to the child.

Hera's eyes lit up. "Mine too," the girl replied, quickly latching on to the woman.

Laura glanced over at Sharon. They exchanged a brief look of understanding. That was all they needed to convey their sentiments. It seemed history was something they were all learning from. The teacher in Laura resumed focus on Hera, who was excitedly rambling on about everything she knew about the twelve tribes of Kobal.

xxx

The hike from where they'd left Kara's jeep took longer than Lee had imagined. It was only about a two mile climb and not very steep. But Kara had neglected to mention that the snow further up the mountain was measured in feet this time of year. As he looked around, he honestly didn't see how any ten-year-old could make the climb in such conditions, not even the daughter of Starbuck and Apollo.

Kara continued forward and Lee followed. When he stopped beside her a minute later, his gaze instantly shifted downward. About a thousand feet below them was a massive blue body of water. He recalled her mention of a lake earlier, but he hadn't been prepared for the stunning sight of a volcanic crater filled with azure colored water and blanketed by snowfall. The setting sun splashed red and orange across the sky, which created an even more dramatic view.

"She loves it up here," Kara's voice was low against the soft rush of wind that began to drift across the snowy landscape. "Not surprising I guess, considering the first time I ever came up here was the day I found out I was pregnant." She paused for a second. "I came up here to get away, just like I always run from the hard stuff."

Lee regarded the calm water. "It's so blue," he whispered. He tried not to react to her running comment, but he did notice that her attitude toward him had shifty slightly since they'd made their way up the mountain. As he stared into the blue depths, he was grateful for the lack of fight in her words. "I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it before."

"I have," Kara turned to look at Lee. His eyes remained focused on the water as she stared at him. "That day, the second I looked down there at the lake... I fell apart," she revealed.

He finally faced her. Lee didn't speak but the question was there in his eyes.

"I saw you floating down there in the water that day… watched as you drifted out of my life. I never thought I'd see you again and I didn't have a clue what to do with a kid," Kara realized how sentimental she was allowing herself to be, but for once she didn't much care. "Seven months later Ellie was born. When I looked into her eyes for the first time, I saw you again," she concluded.

Seeing her let her guard down for even a second made Lee's heart clinch with hope. He wanted to say so many things in response to what she'd just revealed. But, as usual, he had no idea what to do with himself. The words wouldn't come, and time slipped through his fingertips. Kara's eyes hardened again. Her head turned away from him. The moment was lost. That's when the snow began to fall.

In a mater of seconds, the flakes were falling fast and furious. The sky's red-orange hue of dusk was quickly sucked away by a blanket of white confusion. Kara reached out and grabbed hold of his arm. "Don't move," she instructed. All of her survival training had taught her to stay put in the event of a blizzard white-out.

Lee couldn't see her after another minute had passed. He felt her grip on his arm and did as she said. His head moved from side to side but he couldn't see a thing, let alone try to get a barring on which way was up or down. The snow was completely disorienting. And the biting cold was starting to penetrate his defenses. Kara had outfitted him with the proper gear, but even that was not enough to fully withstand such a harsh storm.

The snow let up a short time later, only minutes later Lee realized as he was finally able to glance down at his watch again. He looked to Kara for guidance, praying that his daughter was not caught in the same kind of weather. "We're lucky, that flurry didn't last long," Kara intoned as she held tight to Lee and guided them safely away from the lake's cliff edge. "We need shelter because the next one probably won't be as short."

"What about the lodge or visitor's center?" Lee inquired. He'd seen signs on their drive up.

"Not open this time of year," Kara replied as she led them to the closest rock outcropping she could find. "Besides, they're both still over a mile away," she slung the pack off her shoulders. "Which means we'll have to put up the tent here and hope this storm blows by quickly," she dug through the bag for the small tent she kept there.

They worked quietly and swiftly, setting up the cold weather tent. They were blocked on one side from the rock outcropping, but were still very exposed. Once inside, Kara lit a small candle lantern that she'd brought along. She pulled out two emergency blankets and handed one over to Lee, telling him to wrap up. He easily obliged, shifting so that he could sit on it and pull it around front, trapping in as much heat as possible.

One hour later, the wind and snow had not let up and Kara grew more and more frustrated. "Gods, this is ridiculous!" she finally snapped. "I can't be stuck here when my daughter is out there, somewhere…" the words got caught in her throat.

"Hey," Lee extracted one of his arms from underneath the blanket. He rested a hand on her shoulder. "Ellie's probably back home by now." He noticed Kara's doubtful look, but he persisted. "What do you want to bet me?" he continued, hoping to sound reassuring. "I bet she's all curled up in her bed right now, and wondering where the heck her idiot parents have gone off to."

Kara smiled at that, but her bottom lip quivered just a little. She couldn't help her thoughts from drifting back to the idea of her daughter being trapped out in the snow storm. She knew Ellie was smart about what to do in a lot of situations, but snow was blinding, cold and one of the worst things to drudge through.

Minutes passed by in silence until Lee spoke up again. "Why didn't you ever tell me about Ellie?" he asked.

She looked at him with disbelief. "You really want to get into this _now_?"

Lee shrugged. What better time to confront her than when she couldn't walk away from him? "Did you not know she was mine at first?"

If she hadn't been trying to keep warm under her blanket, Kara would have thrown her hands up. Instead she settled for glaring at him. "That, right there, is exactly why I never told you," she turned to anger to vent her frustration over their current predicament. "Ten years and you're still judging me. Saintly Apollo and Kara the slut."

"I'm not judging you," Lee defended. Kara rolled her eyes at the comment. He sighed in defeat and pulled his blanket tighter. "Sam told me that I wasn't the first," he decided to keep pushing. "When we were on that damned algae planet. He said that you'd been with other guys while you were married to him."

Her jaw clenched. "Why didn't you ever ask _me_?"

"What would you have said?"

She turned and looked him in the eye. "That it wasn't a lie. It was only once, but yes, it happened."

His head shook from side to side. "You see, how was I supposed to deal with the woman I love more than anything, cheating? If you did it to Sam, what's to say you wouldn't do it to me?"

"So, it's okay if it's you I'm cheating on my husband with but not anyone else?" Kara couldn't believe him. "Gods, Lee. You really are a hypocrite some times."

"Did you ever really love me at all Kara?"

His words stung more than she would have thought. Kara didn't want to dignify them with any sort of response but she'd had enough of his holier than thou attitude. "Sex is not always about love," she tried to keep her voice even.

"And that, right there, is why I couldn't be with you ten years ago," Lee persisted. "You just don't understand."

"No, _you_ don't understand!" Kara couldn't hold in the pain any longer. "And you never will because you don't want to listen," she ground out the accusation. "So, why should I even bother?"

"I'd listen if you had something to say."

"You mean, if I had anything to say that you wanted to hear," Kara countered. It was finally time to lay everything out for him. "Your problem is that you only want the good stuff, Lee. You only want to hear the, _I love you_ bits and the, _I'll always be a perfect little wife_ vows. You don't want to hear the part about how I sleep around because that's the only way I know how to deal with complicated emotions. You don't want to hear that's the way I was raised. That was the only example I was given to follow. And let me tell you Lee, when it's beaten into you enough over the years that you're just a no good, screw up – it starts to stick in your head. And it takes a hell of a lot more than some frak on the beach and a declaration of love shouted to the heavens to make it go away!" she shouted. "If you'd loved me, Lee, you would have loved everything about me – not just the good parts," she angrily brushed away a traitorous tear that had slid down her cheek.

"Kara, I…" the words were lost as Lee sunk down in his seated position. He leaned over and placed his head in his hands, feeling like he'd been punched in the gut. The pain of a physical fight would've been welcome compared to the excruciating throb of guilt pooling in his stomach. The hurt from knowing what he'd done to her all those years ago by not listening, it was almost more than he could handle. "I wish you could have told me all this ten years ago," he finally replied. "But I guess I really _didn't_ give you much of a chance," he lamented.

The words had freed her to a point where she felt the anger start to ebb. "I don't know if I even would have been able to tell you all that back then," Kara admitted. "I guess maybe I've matured a little over the years?" she tried to joke, feeling the overwhelming seriousness start to choke her.

"Maybe Dee was right," Lee seemed oblivious to her earlier comment as he continued his downward spiral. "Maybe it all _was_ my fault," his voice cracked.

"All of what?" Kara hesitantly asked, unsure of the emotional doors they were both opening.

He raised his head, looking over at her again. There were tears gathered at the corner of his eyes. Kara felt herself start to follow him over the edge as she listened to his confession. "She blamed me for our marriage falling apart," he whispered the failure he'd been carrying around with him for years.

Her eyes widened. That was the one thing she'd never expected to hear. In the three days they'd been in each other's proximity again, she hadn't heard any mention of Dee but she never could have guessed it was because they weren't together any longer.

"She claimed it was because I became so distant… because I closed off a part of myself after…"

"After what, Lee?" She could tell there was more to his current state of despair than just a failed marriage.

"After… after the death of our son," he swallowed the sob resting in his throat, but several others escaped as he broke down. Kara felt her heart break. She didn't know what to do, or say. There was a time that they'd been friends no matter what. They'd been there to comfort one another. She wanted to be that for him again but she wasn't sure how he'd react. So, she kept her distance as he let go of the past.

"I had a son," he told Kara, looking up at her again. Tears were wiped from his eyes as he tried to remember the good parts. "We named him after her father and mine, Alexander William. Alex was... I don't know how to explain him. I remember feeling him move inside Dee, and not being able to wait to see him. And the first time I held him in my arms… I can't even explain what that was like," Lee took a deep shuddering breath.

"I know," Kara whispered. She recalled being awed in the same way by Ellie's birth.

"He was just three months old when..." his voice grew grave. Lee had never really talked about the events of his son's death. He'd pushed it all away, including Dee. "He died in his sleep. Doctors said it was a heart defect that they hadn't been able to detect at birth. They said there was nothing we could have done but, we slept through it Kara," the tears returned. "I woke up that morning thinking he'd slept all night for the first time. I didn't even know he was… I just slept right on through," Lee sobbed.

Kara felt a tear slide down her own cheek. She'd never wanted kids but Ellie had completely changed her life, for the better. She couldn't imagine having lost the girl as a baby. She didn't want to think about losing her now.

"Lee, you can't do this to yourself," Kara didn't know what to say but she had to say something. "What happened to your son wasn't your fault; even the doctors told you that. You couldn't have known. As for Dee and your marriage, I don't know what to tell you. Surviving something like that takes a lot out of people, but you got through it, maybe not together but… Frak, Lee. Would you please stop me here because I am not good at advice or pep talks, unless maybe you're a nugget. But it's been a while since I've even done that," her words nervously ran together.

He looked over at her with tear stained eyes, and cracked the smallest of smiles. "You're right, Kara, you stink at pep-talks," Lee felt some of his sorrow begin to lift. Saying the words aloud had helped immensely. "But thank you for trying."

She reached toward him and used the end of her sweatshirt sleeve to dry the remainder of his tears. Lee inhaled sharply, smelling the sweetness of her skin as it was so close to his. He curled his fingers around her wrist and held her there for a moment longer, trying to chase away the sorrow in his heart. Lee noticed as her eyes shifted from friendly concern to something more. His breath caught as he felt her move in. The feel of her lips against his was a dream he never thought to experience again.

It didn't last long though, as Kara suddenly pulled away. She covered her mouth with a hand, savoring his taste even as the guilt of their brief kiss stirred in her belly. "Gods, why do we always have the worst timing?" she asked, trying not to look at him.

"Hey," Lee lifted her chin. He wasn't about to let her slip away again. Pulling her closer, he wrapped his arms around her. "You're worried about her?" he asked, though the answer was pretty obvious. Kara nodded into his shoulder. "I'm worried too," Lee confessed as he held on to a friend he thought he'd lost for good. "We'll find her, Kara," he whispered in her ear. "I promise you, we'll find her."

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights _to Battlestar Galactica_, or its characters.

* * *

I've been sick, couldn't really be helped. I got to this part as soon as the fog in my head cleared. Thanks again for your reviews! Enjoy!

* * *

**The Long Way Home  
****Part 9**

By  
N. J. Borba

They pulled apart slowly, unsure about the connection they had just renewed. Both knew it was still tentative at best. Lee gathered his blanket back up around his shoulders and watched as Kara did likewise. The inches of space between them seemed like miles. "So, that's how Dee is doing. What about Anders?" Lee didn't want to let silence engulf them again. He tried to make a joke of their earlier attempt at small talk.

When her eyes wavered, a bad feeling settled low in his stomach. "Sam's dead," Kara's voice was barely a whisper above the storm that was raging outside.

"Kara… I, I didn't realize," Lee stammered.

She quickly resumed an indifferent stance and shrugged. "It was a long time ago."

Something told him to persist. Perhaps it was ten years worth of regret and not being able to talk to her? It didn't really seem to matter the reason. "Getting it out _does_ help," he just wanted to be there for her, the way she'd been there for him just moments ago.

"There's not much to get out," Kara insisted. Lee knew better but kept quiet. Her willingness to continue spoke for itself. "He followed me here. We never divorced. Sam still wanted to work things out between us. When I found out about Ellie I told him the truth about being with you. He didn't care that she wasn't his. So, we pretended for a while."

Kara took a deep breath. "Sam became a firefighter. He quickly became part of a fast attack team and was sent all along the coast line to fight forest fires. When Ellie was six months old, he was sent down to fight a nasty blaze in Southern California. He never came back," her words were quick and to the point, but not painless.

"I'm sorry, Kara. I really am," Lee tried to find some words of comfort but nothing was forthcoming. So, he redirected his attention. "Was he… did he love Ellie? Was he a good father to her?"

She shook her head. "You don't really want to know the answer to that," Kara tried to brush him off.

Lee reached out to her. His hand came to rest on her wrist again. He looked her in the eye. "Yes, I do," he honestly replied.

Kara found trust in his words. "Sam loved her very much," she revealed. "He really helped me through those first few months; taught me how to change diapers, give baths, even how to sing lullaby's," Kara chuckled at that memory, as she tried to cover the sorrow lodged in her throat. "Sam showed me how to be a good parent… and all I ever gave him was a headache," she lamented. "I really did love him," Kara whispered.

"I know you did," Lee gently ran his thumb over her hand, back and forth. He also knew that he should have been fuming over hearing about Sam being there for them. But he couldn't hate a dead man. And he had to stop dwelling on ancient history if he ever hoped to change the future.

She looked Lee in the eye again and held his gaze. "But I never… I just…." The words wouldn't fall, but a final surge of courage got her to the point. "I settled, and he deserved better than that," Kara concluded.

The static of Kara's radio interrupted them. "_Base to Echo 1, this is Jackson. Do you read?"_

Kara pulled away from Lee. She swiped away a lone tear, and snatched the radio out of her pack. "This is Echo 1, we read you. What's going on Jackson?"

"_It's not good, Thrace. We're grounded at base camp. Visibility is zero. We won't be able to get a team up there till daybreak. The storm's due to dump another few inches over night. My only suggestion is to sit tight up there. We'll get a chopper to you ASAP."_

Lee glanced down at his watch, noticing that it was only 2100 hours. They still had a long time until daybreak, and a missing ten-year-old daughter to worry about. It was going to be damn near impossible to sit still until morning. The hiss of the wind cut through the radio conversation and the device went dead due to interference. Kara tossed it back into her pack and growled in frustration.

"We should try to get some rest," Lee suggested. "When this storm passes, we'll need to set out after Ellie. We should be as rested as possible," he tried to be the voice of reason, even though he was just as upset at the prospect of sitting on his hands for several more hours.

"I can't sleep," Kara adamantly shook her head.

"I didn't say _sleep_," Lee replied. "I said rest." There was no way he could think to fall asleep either, not under such circumstances. Ever since his son's death, sleep had been a tricky thing for him.

She finally settled down a little and wrapped up with her blanket, stretching out as much as the small space would allow. "If I close my eyes and _rest_," Kara emphasized the last word. "Will you do the same?" she looked over at Lee. It was pretty clear she understood his sleep difficulties without needing to ask.

Lee nodded in agreement as he lay down beside her, and covered up.

xxx

Even though the thermal emergency blanket was doing a good job of keeping the cold at bay, the sound of wind whistling through a thin layer of nylon was not helping to ease his mind. Lee opened his eyes and tried to focus his vision. The haziness of sleep surprised him as he roused himself further from the fog. He glanced down at his watch and realized that nearly three hours had past. They'd actually fallen asleep.

The warmth of something beside him gave Lee pause. His thoughts instantly fell to Kara, but as he glanced around he could see the top of her head a few feet away. The warm lump curled up against him was between them. He finally managed to wake up fully when he realized exactly who was snuggled up to his left side. Two light blue eyes were staring up at him.

"Am I dreaming?" Lee questioned.

Ellie had a wan smile perched on her lips as she shook her head. "Nope," her simple reply reminded him so much of Kara that his heart ached. He was so relived to find her there in the tent with them. Lee reached over the girl and gently nudged Kara. When she didn't rouse, he shoved her harder to get her attention.

"Gods, Lee. What…" Kara's voice was groggy as her eyes peeked open. Then she looked down at the child curled up in his arms. All further rude comments died on her lips. "Eleanor, where have you been?" Kara asked, pulling herself up into a seated position. "What were you thinking, running off like that?" Her worries quickly rolled into a scolding tone.

"I'm sorry…" the girl croaked out in a tired voice. "But I had to go up as high as possible," Ellie explained as she stayed close to Lee. She looked warily between her parents. Her gaze focused upon Kara for a moment. "I wanted to find the star, so I could help you and Lee."

"What star? What are you talking about?" Kara inquired. She was confused but relieved.

"You know, like in the story. The star, Polaris," the child explained. She looked to Lee again. "Grandpa Bill gave me this," Ellie reached under the cover of her blanket, then further beneath her jacket and sweatshirt. A Colonial shaped dog tag hung on a chain around her neck. There was another similar looking tag beside it. "I put it here next to mommy's."

Lee examined the two items. He read his own name inscribed against the one silver tag that she held out. And Kara's name was on the other. "I can't believe he gave that to you."

Ellie nodded. "Your call sign was Apollo," she pointed out the word that was lodged between the names, Lee and Adama. "Kind of like the sun prince who couldn't see the princess," she looked over at Kara again. "I thought if I could find the light from the star then you and Lee could finally see each other. Then you wouldn't be so lonely," the girl concluded with all the innocence of ten-year-old logic.

Kara sighed, not quite believing the tale. "Ellie, that's just a stupid story that I made up."

The child looked worried that her mother was upset, but that didn't stop her from defending herself. "I had to do something. I didn't want you to fight because of me," Ellie cried.

"Hey," Lee pulled his daughter tighter. "We weren't fighting about you…"

"Yes you were," the girl cut him off. "I heard you say that you'd take mommy to court and take me away from her."

Lee felt his heart break. She _had_ heard the awful things he'd said. "No, Ellie. I swear to you that I would never do that. We were just upset and I said some things that I shouldn't have. You misunderstood," he tried his best to reassure the child.

Eleanor thought he sounded genuine but she looked to her mother for confirmation. "It's the truth," Kara reiterated. She had no idea how they'd allowed everything to get so out of hand. "I promise. Lee's not going to take you anywhere," she swore. "Unless you want to go with him," she quickly amended. Kara looked to Lee and watched as he held their child safely in his arms. She finally realized the mistake she'd made in keeping father and daughter apart. "That will be your choice, Ellie. I won't stop you from spending as much time as you want with him, okay?"

"Okay," Eleanor smiled softly.

The three of them were quiet for a short time after, momentarily happy in the safe embrace of their haphazard little family. Lee watched Kara as she watched their daughter. He couldn't help the small grin that slowly spread across his face. "Maybe it's not such a stupid story after all," Lee countered.

Kara's head shot upward, looking over at him like he'd lost his mind. "Excuse me?" She stared at him and her daughter.

"You're the one who started the story Kara," Lee pointed out. "Maybe it wasn't a literal star that we needed," he suggested as his eyes wandered down to settle on Ellie again. "Maybe our light came in a different form," he concluded.

She cocked her head at him with a questioning gaze. "Who knew you were such a hopeless…"

"Romantic?" Lee ventured.

A sudden burst of laughter filled the tent around them. It was a sound Lee never thought he'd hear again. Seconds later, Kara finally got herself under control and shook her head at him. "Actually, I was going to say _fool_," she teased. A wink followed. "But your word works too."

Lee was about to whack her over the head for her comment, but they were both interrupted by Ellie again. "Mommy, I'm cold," the girl's voice was low as she buried herself further against Lee's chest. He could actually feel the child shaking beside him. He ran his hand up and down her back, hoping to help warm her up a little.

"I'm sure you're very cold," Kara remarked as she reached for the blanket that had been covering her. She tossed it over Ellie. "How did you ever find your way around in this storm?" she absently asked, tucking the item up under her daughter's chin.

"Don't know," Ellie's voice wavered as another shiver wracked her body. "My toes are really cold, mommy," that statement got Kara's attention. She exchanged a brief glance with Lee before shoving off the blanket that was keeping the girl's legs covered. Kara removed Ellie's shoes and finally her socks. The sight that greeted her made her slightly nauseous. She'd had enough experience with cold weather to know frostbite when it was staring her in the face.

"It's, uh… it's not so bad," Kara spoke between gritted teeth. Lee didn't even have to look to know it was bad. He could hear it in Kara's voice. Even after ten years, he still knew every little nuance and inflection of her tone.

Kara tried her best to take command of the situation. She grabbed her pack and fished out a few helpful items from within. She carefully placed dry, sterile cotton balls between each of the girl's toes. Then Kara gathered everything she could stack and elevated both feet, in hopes of reducing the swelling. All the while, she listened as Lee tried to distract the girl.

Lee remembered that he still has his wallet with him. He carefully shifted so that he could remove the item from his back pocket, without jostling Ellie too much. He opened the leather case and sought out the photo that he knew was there. Lee hadn't removed the picture or even dared to look at it for years. Just knowing it was there had always been a comfort to him.

After a few seconds spent staring into the soft brown eyes of his baby boy, he held out the photo so that Ellie could see it. "This is someone I'd like to introduce you to," Lee did his best to forget all the sorrow of his son's loss. He wanted to try and celebrate the boy's life instead. And he couldn't imagine a better person to share that with. "This is Alex, he was your brother," Lee revealed.

Eleanor smiled. She was pretty sure the baby was the same one that she'd seen in a picture at his house. Then she remembered what Lee had told her that night. He'd said he didn't have any kids, which led her to only one conclusion. "Did he die?" she asked.

"Yeah, kiddo," Lee sighed. "He did. Alex was very little and… well, there was nothing we could do," he honestly relayed to her.

"I'm sorry," Ellie held onto the picture tightly. She laid it face down against her chest and rested her hand on it as she looked up at Lee again. "I wish I could have known him."

"Me too," Lee whispered. He leaned down and kissed his daughter on the forehead. "I'm the one who's sorry, Ellie," he whispered in her ear. "I never should have snapped at you that night, about the picture. It was stupid and I didn't mean anything by it. I was just upset," he apologized.

"It's okay," Ellie's voice grew more tired. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything," Lee replied.

"Do you think, well…" the child paused for a moment, hoping he wouldn't be mad at her request. "Do you think that maybe it would it be okay if I call you daddy?" she finally asked.

Lee had been watching Kara finish up with Ellie's feet. Their eyes locked as they both listened to the girl's request. Kara was a little surprised at first, but only because of her own petty jealousy in thinking she and Ellie didn't need anyone but each other. She already knew how much her daughter adored Lee. And she was finally starting to realize that the girl had room enough for both of them in her heart. A grin brightened her face as she nodded for him to answer the girl.

"Yeah, kiddo. I think that would be more than okay," Lee choked out the words. Ellie smiled up at him with closed eyes. She was already half asleep as he sat there with her. He gently rocked her as much as he could without disturbing her propped feet.

When Ellie was completely out, Lee looked to Kara again. "Shouldn't we try to warm her feet up, or something?" he asked, feeling rather helpless.

Kara sat beside them, legs curled up underneath her. She reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair away from Ellie's face. "No, if we do that now and then have to take her back out in the cold… it could make it worse," she told him. "We just have to wait."

Neither of them was very good at waiting.

xxx

Seconds rolled into minutes, and minutes turned into hours as they waited in the small, cold tent. With two of their three blankets focused on keeping Ellie warm, Lee had gallantly wrapped his over the top of Kara's shoulders. She had, of course, protested the chivalrous gesture. So, Lee had taken it back. Now he watched her out of the corner of his eye as she sat there beside Ellie, shivering and trying to cover up the fact that she was cold.

"Come on Kara," he whispered, so as not to rouse their sleeping child. "This is ridiculous. Just come over here and share this blanket with me," he insisted.

"I don't need it," she maintained. "I don't _deserve_ it," she mumbled the last part under her breath.

Lee caught the words and let go of a frustrated sigh. He was sick and tired of her martyr routine. "You don't _deserve_ to be cold and miserable," he curtly informed her.

Kara didn't look over at him. She was too focused on Ellie, as if her gaze alone could make the girl better. "I'm sorry, Lee," the words emitted from her mouth as she continued her vigil. "I'm sorry for stealing ten years of her life from you. I was stupid and selfish. I told myself I just wanted you to be happy, and I did. But I also wanted a part of you with me," she confessed. "And now, if anything happens to her…"

That got his attention. Lee sat up and shrugged the blanket off all together. He stared at Kara even though she still wouldn't face him. "You think you're being punished for keeping her away form me?" he asked with disbelief. "This is not punishment Kara. It doesn't work that way. This was all just bad timing," he insisted.

"You don't get it, Lee. It _does_ work that way for me." She finally looked over at him. Lee could see in her eyes the depth of the pain she was feeling. It clearly ran a lot deeper that Ellie's current predicament. His worry was confirmed a few seconds later. "All I wanted was for Zak to be happy. So, I gave him the one thing within my power to please him. I gave him his wings, and it got him killed."

"Kara…" Lee could see the downward spiral that was starting to form in her mind. He wanted nothing more than to squash it, once and for all. But she was already too far gone.

"I wanted to make Sam happy too," she continued. "I gave him a child, _your_ child… I finally caved and settled into a life with him. And it got him killed."

"So, you think your love is a curse?" Lee tried not to laugh. He could tell that she really was trying to be serious about it all, maybe for the first time in her life. He sobered quickly, realizing that he really hadn't ever tried to talk to her about any of her guilt. "Kara, it's not true," Lee saw the doubt in her eyes and realized he could tell her not to blame herself until he was blue in the face. He needed another tactic. "Do you love me?" he suddenly asked. "I mean… _did_ you love me?"

Her eyes grew wide, worried and confused. Kara's jaw clenched but she didn't hesitate long before she nodded her head. "Yes."

Lee wasn't sure which tense she was responding to, past or present. But he felt it best not to press his luck. "Well, then there seems to be a bit of a flaw in your theory. You wanted me to be happy, didn't you? That's why you disappeared from my life and never told me about Ellie," he felt like he was stating the obvious. But he needed her to react.

"Yes."

One small step, Lee thought as he continued. "So, you did what you thought would make me happy and I'm still here," Lee pointed out. "I didn't die."

Kara looked up at him with unshed tears in her eyes. "No, but your son did," she revealed. "I still hurt you, even if I didn't get _you_ killed."

Suddenly, he felt trapped. He wanted to throw his hands up at her and storm off. Maybe it was a good thing he couldn't. They always seemed to run off when the issues got too big to handle. Now they'd have to face them full on. "You know what? It's a damn good thing we only allowed you to teach basic flight on Galactica," Lee scoffed. "Because clearly, theory is not your best subject. That is about the biggest, most frakked up one I've ever heard!" his shout was a whispered one, due to Ellie's close proximity.

"It's the truth," Kara replied. "Once a screw up, always a screw up."

"You did not kill my son," Lee growled. "It was a horrible thing that happened, but it was not your fault. I shared his death with you because I finally wanted to let go, to move on. And you allowed me to do that." He took her hand in his again. "I can't tell you how grateful I am for that, Kara," and he honestly was. "But I didn't tell you about Alex just so you could use him as another way to distance yourself from me," he seethed.

"So, what then?" Kara was at a loss. She felt cornered. Running was more her style, but as she felt his soft touch against her skin, she knew there was nowhere to run. "How do we move on, Lee? Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know, Kara," Lee shrugged. He didn't have all the answers. He barely had one. "We stop the circle of blame, for starters," he suggested, tapping the top of her hand to emphasize his point. "And, maybe we just decide to toss out all the bad stuff and keep the good," Lee was at a loss for ideas, but it didn't sound too bad as it flew from his mouth.

"What good?" she countered.

Lee was seriously resisting the urge to punch her. But he kept hold of her hand and looked down at their sleeping daughter. "What about Ellie?" he asked. "There has to be a good reason why she's here."

Kara nodded. "Yeah, Lee. On Earth, they call it Whiskey," she kept pushing.

He pushed right back. "That's not true, Kara, and you know it!" his voice grew slightly above a whisper that time. But he didn't care. He stared her down and dared her to keep the verbal punches rolling.

"Really?" she did not disappoint. "If it wasn't about alcohol, then why was it _you_ who left that time?" Kara felt her voice break, betraying the finally crafted mask she'd been wearing since first seeing him again after ten years. She'd hurt him time and time again, but _that_ night he'd finally hurt her.

"Stop fighting," Ellie's weak voice called out to them.

"We're not fighting," Kara instantly turned her attention toward the girl, thankful of the interruption. Any excuse to burry her feelings again. She'd gotten way to close to the edge that time.

"Yes you are," Ellie protested.

Kara shook her head. "No, we're not."

"Yes, we are," Lee finally agreed with his daughter.

Kara glared over at him. "No, we're not," she maintained.

"Mommy," Eleanor took a deep raspy breath. "I don't feel so good," she didn't seem to care about her parents petty bickering any longer. Her whole body was shaking again.

Kara placed a hand against Ellie's forehead. "Gods, Lee. She's burning up."

All arguments were swiftly forgotten. Lee was at Kara's side as he felt Ellie's burning skin against his own palm. He glanced down at his watch. "It's only 0330…" he paused for a moment, realizing that the wind had died down. "It sounds like the storm has past, though."

"But the sun won't be up for hours yet," Kara pointed out. "Jackson won't be able to safely get a team up…"

"Frak the team!" Lee snatched his blanket up and examined it. Then he looked over at his daughter again. "We need to get her down the hill now, not in a few hours," he declared.

"Maybe the storm stopped, but it left a lot of snow behind," Kara explained.

"So, we cut this blanket up," the wheels in his head were spinning. "Save the other two for Ellie but wrap the pieces of this one around our shoes as added protection against the cold." He didn't wait for her to dismiss the idea. "Is there a path through the woods we can take? A short cut?" he inquired as he went to her pack and grabbed the knife he'd seen in there.

"Yes. And there should be less snow because of the tree cover," Kara was starting to get on board with his plan. "But Ellie's too weak to walk," she noted.

Lee nodded. "I'll carry her on my back." He tossed her some of the blanket he'd cut and a length of string he'd found in her pack. "We go now, Kara. It's her best chance right?" he looked over at her briefly and watched her nod in agreement. "Good, then there's nothing more to discus."

They both finished up wrapping their feet the best they could. The extra bulk would be cumbersome but it was more protection than they'd have otherwise. Lee and Kara made sure that their jackets, hats and gloves were all in place before focusing on Ellie. Kara packed up everything she could and slung the bag over her shoulders. Then she lifted Ellie up and onto Lee's back. They wrapped two blankets around her and left the sanctuary of their tent behind.

xxx

The snow wasn't too thick through the woods, but it was still enough to make their trip slow going. In two hours time, Kara knew that they'd traveled just a little more than half a mile. Not much. She did her best to take point and help navigate through the terrain. But even knowing the area as well as she did, it was still tricky. The white landscape was disorienting.

About three hours into their trek they were stopped dead in their tracks by the river. The temperature had thankfully gone up several degrees in the short time since they'd left the tent camp behind. However, that also meant that the river was full to bursting with fresh snow melt. And at the crossing point Kara had brought them to, they discovered that the wire suspension bridge had been washed out on the other side of the bank.

"Great," Kara mumbled as she dropped her pack and hunched over to catch her breath.

Lee cleared a patch of snow off a large bolder and carefully sat Ellie down. He rested for a minute and tried to help Kara figure out what to do next. That's when something caught his attention. There was a large fir tree that had fallen over, directly across the river. "I think I can get across and secure the other end of the bridge," he declared.

Kara's eyes followed his to the downed tree. She quickly shook her head in protest. "No way," she watched as the raging river gushed over the fallen log in several places.

"How much further until the next safe crossing place?" Lee asked.

"About three miles, maybe more," Kara reluctantly informed him. She could see that his mind was already made up. "This is stupid, Lee. What do you think you're trying to prove?"

"I'm not trying to prove anything except that I love my daughter and I will not stand by and watch her die!" Lee returned. He looked over at Ellie's slumped form on the rock. Then back to Kara. "I won't lose her too," he swore.

There was really nothing Kara could say in return. She knew how much he loved Ellie, he'd proven that already. Kara just didn't want to risk losing him again as well. "Lee," she watched as he moved toward the log. "Be careful," she whispered.

He turned and looked her in the eye. "Kara, if I don't…"

"You'll make it," she protested, suddenly putting all her faith in him.

Lee nodded. But their earlier conversations all ran through his head and he had to give her some sort of explanation. "I just… my father left my mom and Zak and I. And I… I swore to myself that I would never do that to my wife," he stood there on the snowy bank with regret and tears in his eyes. He'd done the responsible thing all those years ago, even though it meant turning his back on the love of his life. "Those things run deep, Kara. They run very deep," he concluded.

She fought back her own tears as she sat down beside Ellie and pulled the girl onto her lap. "I know," she looked over at him and smiled. Kara did her best to keep from flinging herself into his arms right then and there. They had more important matters to deal with. "Let's just get our daughter safely down this hill, okay? Then we can figure out the rest," Kara bravely waved him off.

Her eyes followed him as he straddled the slippery log and tried to keep his feet above the water. He grabbed onto the tree and slowly began to crawl his way out over the river. Within seconds, a huge rush of water had rolled over him, drenching most of his tired body. The icy cold was instant, but he held on and continued forward, keeping in mind that his daughter's life depended on his success.

Half way across, Lee was starting to realize what a stupid idea he'd had thinking he could crawl to the other side of a river on nothing but a slippery pole of wood. But there was no turning back. He hesitated a moment as he searched for another safe handhold. Several branches were sticking out but they were all wet and hard to grasp. Just as he found one that looked good, another swell of water decided to slap him in the face. He successfully got a hold of a branch with his hands, but his legs lost their footing and the lower half of his body plunged into the river.

"LEE!" he could hear Kara's frantic shouting from the shore, but the water kept bombarding him. And his hands started to slip.

**TBC**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights _to Battlestar Galactica_, or its characters.

**The Long Way Home  
****Part 10**

By  
N. J. Borba

* * *

"LEE!"

Kara's scream roused Ellie slightly from her near-unconscious state. The girl shifted in her mother's arms and turned her head just in time to watch as her father slipped into the river. "Daddy," she whispered with a tired breath. Her fever was still running strong as she lay back against Kara and looked to the woman for reassurance.

Lee was still hanging on to the tree's branches, but just barely. It was obvious, even from a distance, that he was having trouble keeping his head above water. Kara could hardly look away but hearing Ellie's frightened voice forced her to focus on the girl. "He'll be okay," she finally replied to her daughters inquire. She didn't want the child to worry about her father on top of everything else she'd been through.

Knowing that Ellie was still in danger and Lee was literally hanging on for dear life, Kara was torn. Her head waged a war between the over powering desire to protect her child, and wanting to save the man who she'd never stopped loving. There was no easy choice to be made, so she sent up a silent prayer. In a matter of seconds, it was answered. Her reply came in the form of a white and red rescue helicopter that she knew well.

She watched for a moment as her friend and co-worker, Jackson, went about setting the whirling vehicle down in a small clearing about twenty yards from their position. But Kara didn't wait for him to land before taking action. She carefully situated Ellie against the large rock again and wrapped the girl up the best she could.

"Jackson's going to get you out of here," she assured the child.

"What about daddy?" Ellie forced the weary words from her lips as she shivered under her layers of blanket.

"Don't worry about him, okay," Kara glanced over her shoulder, making sure that Lee was still there. She turned back to her daughter "I'm going to help your dad," she promised the child.

Jackson promptly made his way to them with a small med kit in hand. Assessing the situation, he gave Kara a quick nod of the head and noticed her daughter slumped against the boulder. Then he followed Kara's worried eyes toward the water and finally registered the form stuck out in the middle of the river.

"What the hell?" the man turned questioning eyes to Kara.

Kara kissed her daughter on the cheek. She looked up to Jackson. "Just get her to the hospital," Kara demanded as she stood. "I'll take care of the idiot who decided to go for a swim on the coldest day of the year," she tried to make a joke of it; because she felt she might lose it all together if she took things too seriously.

"I think he's in more trouble than the girl," Jackson began to protest.

"No!" Kara was growing annoyed at being delayed from helping Lee. She edged closer to the river as she continued to shout out orders. "What ever happens, I want you to get her to safety first," she insisted. "Call in another team for us, but get her out of here now!" Kara knew she could get through just about anything as long as she knew Ellie was going to be all right.

"Okay," the man finally agreed. He knew better than to step in Kara's way when her mind was made up.

She spared one last look at Ellie before turning back toward the river. In less than three seconds she'd reached the fallen log. Kara quickly realized that crawling the way Lee had would be the best plan. Not that any part of crawling along a wet log across a raging river was really her idea of a _good_ plan. But there was no way she'd let him slip out of her life again, not after everything they'd just been through.

Kara shook her head as she inched along, water slapping against her legs. "This is just fraking great," she grumbled. The whir of Jackson's chopper started up again. Her heart settled just a little with the realization that Ellie was going to get the treatment she needed. Kara glanced upward slightly as she continued along at a snails pace. "Lords, I haven't asked for much lately, but I could really use some help this time. You see that idiot out there?" she continued to speak as she regarded Lee, still holding on for dear life.

Kara sighed and bowed her head as she trudged on. "Well, I really can't lose him. Not yet. I know I probably don't deserve any more favors, you've been more than generous over the years…" her voice wavered slightly. "But… just don't take him yet, please," she finished her plea for help from the Gods she'd never stopped believing in.

She reached Lee a second later and grabbed a hold of one arm just in time to stop him from plunging all the way into the river. Kara held both his wrists with her wet hands, trying to get as tight a grip as possible. She also held his eyes with her own.

"Don't let go," Lee whispered through chattering teeth.

"That's my line," she quipped, trying to reposition herself to gain more leverage. Unfortunately, there was little she could do to stop from slipping toward the water along with him. "You know this is really pathetic, Apollo…" Kara tried to laugh but it came out as a gasp as his hands started to slip again. "…me coming to save your ass again after all these years," she finished as his body weight shifted again. Kara lost her hold on one of his arms. "Don't you fraking let go or I swear I'll drown you myself!" she screamed as she grasped both arms again.

Lee did his best to obey. "Freezing," he mumbled.

"Then why don't you help me out a little here and pull yourself up," Kara grunted as she tried to get his torso above the log. All her effort wasn't doing much.

"I can't…" he shivered under her hold. "Too slick," Lee maintained.

She shook her head at his sudden defeatist attitude. "So… what, you think I'm going to be able to pull you up on my own?" Kara scoffed, knowing that she just didn't have the strength after everything they'd been through.

"Why… you… here… then?" his voice was low and his teeth were still chattering as he slowly forced each word out.

Kara tried to shrug but the gesture fell short as she continued to struggle with his girth. "I don't really know. My best guess would be so we can die together," her chuckle quickly turned into a yelp as one of his arms slipped again and twisted her wrist. "Frak, I said don't let go!"

Lee felt himself slip again and knew he wasn't going to be able to hold on much longer. The water was up to his chin. He looked up at her and his eyes begged forgiveness as he continued to fall. Her eyes met his and locked on. She held his gaze with steely defiance as she obeyed his previous order. Kara didn't let go.

Not even when his fully submerged body pulled hers over the log and into the icy river, right along with him. Not even as the swift current promptly carried them down river. Not even as the raging water lapped over their heads, bobbed them up and down through its rapids and threatened to drown them both.

She never let go.

xxx

The stark white hospital walls were little comfort to the small group that had gathered, waiting for any news on Ellie. She'd been brought directly to the hospital via helicopter and Jackson had contacted Karl the minute he'd handed the girl off to a nurse. The Adama's and Agathons quickly made their way into town, only to have to wait.

William Adama, former admiral of an entire fleet, wrung his hands as he paced the tile floored hallway. He felt helpless once more. Laura had tried to talk to him a few times but soon gave up on the stubborn old man. She'd taken a seat in the waiting area with Sharon and the girl's, who were dozing in uncomfortable chairs. They'd been up all night. Karl did his fare share of pacing along side Adama.

"If anything happens to Lee and Kara," Bill spoke the words aloud as he continued back and forth over the same small patch of hall. Karl turned his head to regard the man. Bill finally paused mid-step. He looked Karl in the eye. "Laura and I are just too old to be proper guardians for Eleanor. I know that. And I also know Kara wanted you to watch out for her. So, I want you and Sharon to…"

"Just stop right there," Karl halted the direction of their conversation. "Kara and Lee are going to be fine," he insisted. He even went so far as to place a reassuring hand against the older man's shoulder. "And they're going to raise their daughter together," Karl concluded.

The door to the Emergency room swung open and a scrubs-clad woman nodded her head in their direction. As she motioned them forward, Bill and Karl quickly took heed of her gesture. They were both across the hall in a matter of seconds. The woman flashed a reassuring smile as they approached.

"She's going to be fine," the nurse informed the two worried men. "We've got her warmed up and resting comfortably. Her feet should heal in a matter of days. The damage wasn't too extensive, and someone did a fine job of tending to her before she got to us," the woman noted. "She's a very lucky little girl. I assume you'd like to see her?"

"Yes," the two of them spoke in unison.

The nurse grinned. "You can both go in, but not too long," she warned. "We'll be moving her to a room upstairs in a few minutes. The doctor's signed off for her to stay over night, but she can go home tomorrow." The woman finished as she motioned toward the curtained off area to their left.

Karl yanked the green fabric partition back and stepped toward Ellie's bed. Adama followed close on his heals. He went to her right side as Karl diverged to the left. They stood by her bed, flanking her like guards keeping watch over precious cargo. Karl hunched down and placed a soft kiss upon her cheek.

"Uncle Karl?" Ellie's small voice surprised him.

He pulled back. "Hey munchkin, I thought you were sleeping," Karl brought a chair over and sat down. "Your grandpa is here too," he pointed across the bed to where Adama had grabbed another chair and took up residence at her side.

"Hi grandpa," she turned to look at the older man. The ghost of a smile crossed over her face. It fell just as easily as it had appeared. Her eyes pooled with tears. "I'm sorry I ran off," she apologized. "I told mom and daddy that I just wanted to find the star for them so they could be together again. But it was so cold and then daddy got hurt trying to help me, and mommy too… I caused so much trouble…" her words tumbled forward in a rush of regret.

"Hey, none of that," Adama shushed the girl. He scooted his chair closer and ran a hand over her soft hair. There was no blame as far as he was concerned. In fact, he had a feeling the little one had helped her parents, even if they were still lost. The fact that they had banded together to save their daughter spoke volumes. "You did good, kiddo," he whispered in her ear. "You did real good." He pulled back and clasped her right hand in his larger one. A gentle squeeze let her know he was still there for her.

"Is there anything you want?" Karl asked from her other side. "How about some ice cream?" he knew the treat was one of her favorites.

"Too cold," Ellie shook her head.

Karl nodded. "Right, sorry. Maybe some soup?" he persisted.

"I'm not hungry," the child wiped a fallen tear from her cheek. "I just want my mom and dad back."

Adama remembered something as he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small photograph. The nurse had brought it out to them when they'd first arrived and asked about Ellie's condition. He looked down at the baby boy in the picture and smiled as recalled how much joy the child had brought them all. He still missed his grandson a great deal.

He handed over the item to his granddaughter. "I thought you'd like to have this back." Bill had been intrigued by the fact that she'd been carrying it in the first place. Obviously his son had finally allowed part of his sorrow over Alex's death to begin healing. He had a feeling that had everything to do with Kara and Ellie.

"Thank you," the girl whispered. Karl kept quiet as he watched the two interact. He had a hunch about the picture he'd caught a glance of earlier. But he knew enough not to ask about it. "What about my mom and dad?" Ellie questioned as she clutched the picture to her chest.

Bill and Karl exchanged a brief look. They hadn't heard anything about Lee and Kara, not since they'd been told about the precarious predicament Jackson had found them all in. "Jackson and the rest of your mom's team are out there right now looking for your mom and dad. They're going to find them," Karl told her. "And if they don't, I'll go out there myself and drag them back here to you."

"Promise?" Ellie asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, I promise munchkin."

The curtain behind them was parted and the same nurse stepped in to break up there brief reunion. "We need to move her now," the woman sounded apologetic as she approached Ellie. "And she really does need to get some rest," the nurse gave Ellie a warning look as she went about maneuvering the portable bed.

Adama tried his best not to chuckle as he witnessed the very Starbuck glare of defiance on his granddaughters face. He squeezed her hand again before letting go. "We'll see you soon," he bent down and kissed her on the forehead before they rolled her out of the room.

He and Karl made their way back toward the waiting area but were stopped just outside the door as one of Kara's SAR team members approached them. The man they knew as Jackson was trailed by four females. Laura, Sharon and the girls had all come out of the waiting room so they could hear what was going on as well.

"Sirs?" Jackson addressed the men with slight trepidation.

"What have you found?" Bill asked, not taking the time for pleasantries.

"Well sir, it's what we didn't find that has me worried," the man began. "My team returned to where we found Ellie earlier, but there was no sign of Thrace or your son. Her pack was still there on the ground by the rock," he further explained. "The last I saw her she'd gone out to rescue your son in the river. I can only assume that her rescue didn't go so well."

"You mean, you think they went down river?" Karl stood with his mouth agape, not quite believing the string of bad luck that seemed to follow those two around.

"How far down river?" Adama asked.

Jackson shrugged as he pondered the question. "The river runs south from here, about a good thirty miles or so. It crosses the California border then swings west and empties into the Pacific," he shook his head. "They'd drown a lot sooner than it would take them to get that far," the man spoke without thinking.

"So what are you doing standing here?" Bill was more worried than he cared to let on. Slipping into command mode helped to ease the fear pooling in his gut. He had too much experience under his belt to waste it just because he'd reached his seventies.

"I've got teams out there all ready," Jackson defended. "We'll search the bank from the point where we found them earlier, work our way south. I can assure you that we'll find them, even if we have to go all the way to the ocean to do it. But the odds of finding them alive grow slimmer with each mile they traveled in that frigid water."

"Frak the odds," Adama grumbled sharply in a manner he had once before. He'd made Lee a promise that day. _If it was you out there, we'd never leave._ Maybe he couldn't direct the search himself, but he could damn well make sure he helped keep a promise made to his son. "What are you waiting for?" he snapped at Jackson. "Get back out there!" the old man demanded.

Having never been under the former admiral's command didn't seem to matter much to Jackson. He was military from way back, and he knew enough to follow a commanding officers order when he heard it. "Yes sir," he quickly jumped to attention and fled the room.

"They'll find Kara and Lee," Karl tried his best to sound confident even as the group looked a little forlorn. He hugged his wife, more for his own console than for hers. He watched as Bill and Laura embraced. And the girls stood nearby. They had all formed an odd little family over the past few days together. But it was a strangely comforting union.

Bill locked eyes with Karl. "If they don't, I'll take you up on that promise you just made to Eleanor a few minutes ago. And we'll find them together," Adama concluded.

"Yes sir," Karl agreed.

**TBC**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights _to Battlestar Galactica_, or its characters.

Thank you to those still reading and commenting. Really sorry this took so long. My computer died and I lost everything. So, I had to recreate this from memory and chicken scratches in my notebook. Hope it came out all right.

* * *

**The Long Way Home  
Part 11  
**

By  
N. J. Borba

* * *

Two weary bodies lay upon the river's bank; cold and battered from a wild ride and frantic swim toward land. Wet cloths stuck relentlessly to shivering skin. Kara managed enough strength to turn her head and regarded the man beside her. One comforting spark of warmth stretched from his hand to hers, the two of which were still clasped tightly. She watched for a brief moment as Lee's chest rose and fell. Then her eyes closed with the relief that they were both still alive. 

As she reopened them, Kara watched the sun rising through the tree-lined forest. A deep aubergine sky spread before her with a thin swash of vibrant pink edging the horizon. No snow was falling, no winter breeze blowing. The morning was calm. The air was still frigid but a promise of better weather loomed large as the sun continued its ascent.

She glanced over at Lee again and was pleased to find his eyes open. His body was still raked with tremors from the cold. But a small smile formed upon his lips as he stared intently at her. "We're getting too old for this," he managed to whisper hoarsely.

Kara furrowed her brow at him. "Speak for your self," she quickly retorted. "Maybe we should start calling you _old man_ now?" her attempt at light hearted banter got a frown in return. She just shook her head at his oh-so serious face.

"I'm not kidding, Kara," Lee narrowed his eyes at her. "What you did back there was really stupid. You could have died," he needlessly pointed out. "You should have left me."

Eyes rolled in response to his sentiments. "Are you always this cheery first thing in the morning?" Kara flared a look of mock seriousness. Seeing his un-amused face, she sobered a bit. "As I recall, you were the one begging me not to let go back there," she finally reminded him.

"I… that was stupid," Lee closed his eyes. His head lolled back against the snow covered ground.

"Can't argue with you there, but we're alive," Kara made a point to squeeze his hand as she spoke the words. "It all worked out," there was a hint of relief in her tone as she remembered how close they'd come to losing everything.

His eyes snapped open suddenly, worry creased his forehead. "Where's Ellie?" Lee turned to face her again. "Is she…"

"Jackson turned up, remember?"

"Not really, it's all kind of a blur," he confessed.

"She's safe. I made sure of that," Kara relayed as she reluctantly let go of his hand. Lee's face faltered a little as he lost contact with her. She wondered, not for the first time how one of the strongest men she knew could also be so vulnerable. "I need to check out where we are, maybe find some shelter," she explained her departure.

Kara stretched sore muscles as she stood up and glanced around the small patch of white landscape. It was still difficult to get a bearing on their location. The sun was some help but not a lot as it had to filter through the denseness of trees. She spotted something promising a few feet away and looked to Lee, making sure he was all right for a few minutes as she ventured off. He waved her off.

Thoughts were a jumble in her head. She wrapped arms around her waist in an attempt to stave off some of the chill from the air and her damp clothes. Kara had no idea what sort of turn her relationship with Lee had taken in the last twenty-four hours. One moment they were fighting, the next she was afraid to death of losing him again. It was a lot to take in after ten years of resigning herself to never even seeing him again.

As she neared the large tree stump that had caught her eye a moment ago, Kara realized that she wanted Lee in her life. She just had no idea how to start mending the years of distance she'd built between them. Didn't think she even had the right to want such a thing for herself. Shaking her head, Kara tried to focus on more important things. Survival.

The stump was a giant old Redwood, at least eight feet in diameter. It was rotted out and hollow with a small opening on one side. A thicket of blackberry vines had grown over the top, covering up most of the space. It wasn't the prettiest sight but it would provide a decent amount of shelter for a while.

She made her way back to Lee, who still had his eyes closed. Kara could see his body shaking and was relieved for it. They were chilled to the bone but at least they had half a chance. Their ride down the river had made her think for sure they were done for. Seemed it took more than Cylons and raging waters to do them in.

"Time to go," she announced her presence and squatted down beside him. Lee grimaced slightly as he struggled to sit up. A hand went to his right side as he tried to catch his breath. "What's wrong?" Kara questioned.

"Ribs, I think," he uttered with difficulty. "Hopefully just bruised from struggling against that log," he added.

"Hopefully," Kara agreed as she helped him to his feet and tried not to think on his injuries too much. She wrapped one arm around his shoulder, thankful that he wasn't as tall as Karl. They made their way to the old stump in short order.

"Not as nice as the tent," Lee attempted to joke after his earlier bout of seriousness. Being confined to small spaces with Kara wasn't so bad, but the weather was really starting to put a damper on things as he regarded the meager shelter. He carefully shimmied under the brushy cover and settled back against the inside of the hollow tree.

There was just enough room for Kara to squeeze in beside him. She pulled her legs up tight against her chest, trying to fight the cold. They sat quietly for a while listening to the soft thud of melted snow as it fell off tree branches and landed on the ground around them. Every few seconds the deep timbre of a bull frog echoed across the water. And the sound of the river slopping against the bank helped to split the silence between them.

That's when her laughter started in. It was low in her throat at first. But what Lee had previously taken for cold shivers was actually her body's reaction to the bubbling emotion. It soon emitted from her lips with ruckus abandon. It wasn't a horrible sound, in fact it was one of his favorite sounds in the world, but it also confused the shit out of him.

"I really don't find anything funny about our situation here," Lee with the stick-up-his-ass reared his head again.

She couldn't catch her breath as tears pricked her eyes. "No, me either," Kara managed to string a few words together between chuckles.

"Then why…" he was completely dumb founded. Memories of being trapped in a sealed firing range with her and Hotdog came flooding back. But at least she'd had oxygen deprivation as an excuse that time.

"Because I'm so fraking cold, Lee," she began to explain, pulling her legs closer to her chest. "And the only way I can think to get warm conjures up memories of all those shitty romance novels my mother used to read." Another surge of laughter reigned as she leveled her gaze on him. "I used to toss 'em in the trash when she went out, but once I thought I'd be rebellious in another manner. So, I read a passage about some couple stuck in the woods, in a cabin, freezing to death…"

"Still not seeing the funny part of this," Lee was beginning to wonder if she'd hit her head while in the river.

"Obviously you never read romance novels."

"Obviously," he agreed.

"Well, there's really only one solution in such a situation," Kara proceeded without preamble. "Body heat."

Lee stared at her open mouthed for a long minute. Then the laughter hit him square in the gut, which hurt like hell considering his unknown injuries in the same general area. He watched her longingly as his laughter died down. "Maybe you're right," Lee's voice cut through the final bout of giggles that had plagued her. The space sunk into silence again.

She looked at him with disbelief. "I'm right?"

"Stranger things have happened," he offered.

Her eyes grew larger. "So, you want to…" she shook her head of the tempting thought. "You're just messing with me."

"No," Lee maintained his stern stance, seated and slightly slumped over thought it was. "Body heat might be the best chance we have. These wet clothes are not helping matters at all, and…"

"You want to get naked?" Kara sputtered. "Here? Now?"

Lee nodded. "It's not like we haven't already seen everything there is to offer," he explained. "And it's not as if I'm in any sort of mood to even think about…" he waved his hand in front of her. "You know."

Kara pursed her lips. "Thanks a lot," she feigned being offended by his lack of interest.

"Don't mention it," Lee quipped. "Um, I'll turn my head if you'd like," he magnanimously offered.

A small, almost devilish smile crossed her lips. "I think the whole point of body heat is to get close. I doubt you'll be able to turn your head the whole time I'm curled up in your arms. We could be here a while," Kara explained, giving in as she reached for the edge of her top layer. She paused and shot him a warning look. "But if you say anything about things going south, you're a dead man," she growled.

He smirked as she removed her sweatshirt. Suddenly he couldn't help feel guilty. Just the sight of a wet long sleeved t-shirt clinging to her skin stirred something in his stomach. That article was quickly tossed aside as well, which left her in just a sports bra not unlike the ones she always wore on Galactica.

She had nothing to worry about. Her body appeared just as lean and tone as it always had. She'd aged well, Lee thought as his eyes tried not to focus too much on any one area of flesh. But they easily found their way to the tattoo on her left arm. The circle and wing design; a marriage marker from her union with Sam. He thought it would bring back bad memories but found that wasn't the case at all. It was just a mark, nothing more than any other of her tattoos or scars. Just a part of her. All Kara.

A flash of words suddenly snapped to memory as he continued to stare in a way that was meant to not look like a stare. The recollection of a day ago in another tight spot waiting out a storm. She'd accused him of something that just wasn't true. "_If you'd loved me, Lee, you would have loved everything about me – not just the good parts."_

"I do." _I love all of you Kara._

Kara glanced at him over her shoulder. "What?"

Lee realized that two of the words had actually slipped past his lips. But he didn't care. One hand came to rest on her bare shoulder. "The other day, when you laid everything out for me… I know you said it would take more than a shouted declaration of love to the heavens. I understand that, I do, but… you need to understand something too," Lee paused.

Ribbons of sunlight streamed through narrow slits in the old stump. They caused shadows to dance across his face as she watched him. Kara swallowed the anxiety in her throat as his hand burned like fire against her skin. She waited. "For me," his voice crackled softly. He sucked in a nervous breath. "That night freed me, Kara," he finally revealed. And her heart tightened, with regret and hope.

"Shouting it out like that. It wasn't the alcohol, it was me. _Me_," he insisted. "I'd never done that before, never been so carefree with my emotions. You did that to me. And I didn't want to take it back. I finally accepted it, embraced it… I thought you had too. You stood there beside me, Kara, and you said the words," he shook his head, wondering if he really had ever been so young and hopeful. "I don't want simple, Kara. I thought I did. I thought I wanted the perfect wife, order and calm… but it never made me happy."

"Lee…"

"No, I don't care any more," he thwarted her efforts to interrupt. "I'm done," he declared. Her face fell and he felt bad for a moment. "I don't want Ellie in my life part-time," he continued. "I don't want to just be her dad on the weekends and over summer vacation. I don't want to ship her back and forth between states or cities, or even different houses in the same city," he took a deep breath.

"Lee…" worry creased her forehead. She recalled his words the other day about being friends with judges and people who could make it possible for him to take Ellie away from her for good.

"I want to be her father…" Lee stopped her again. "And I want us to be a family. I don't want to lose you again, Kara. I don't want what's easy any more, not if it means not having you. And if I have to fight you to be happy then that's just what I'm going to do. I'll fight you until the day I die," he watched the grim look that washed over her for a moment. "Which is not going to be for many years yet to come," he added. "Lee Adama loves Kara Thrace." His hand moved from shoulder, smoothing up along her neck. It rested on her cheek. "Then. Now. Always."

Her face was a blank slate, trying to digest all his words. A hand slowly moved to greet his. It slipped into his grasp again, the familiarity of it still fresh in her memory. The reminder of that night was stuck in her head as well. Stars and an alcohol high, sobered by his touch. Real emotions she'd never felt before, flooding her naked skin as the moon watched from above.

She tugged slightly on his hand and led him outside of their shelter.

"Kara?" Lee stood on shaky legs. But he was ready for a fight, should it arise. His side still hurt and the cold permeated every fiber of his flesh. But one hopeful ounce of warmth remained. It sat in the pit of his stomach and slowly rose as he watched her.

Hand-in-hand, she led them to the river bank, stopped and turned her face up toward the winter sky. Clear blue like his eyes. Her exposed skin shivered against the cool air. Lips twitched, ached to form the words. Just as suddenly, she turned her gaze back on him. Head shook as she squeezed his hand tighter.

"No," the small word rolled off her tongue. A flash of disappointment ran along his spin. Her smile melted the fear. "I don't need to shout it," she whispered. "The sky already knows; it carried it all this distance. But the message is for you," she closed her eyes and filled her lungs with breath. "Kara…" she stopped again and reopened her eyes.

Lee felt the heat reach his chest. He didn't even need the words. "_I_…" Kara corrected herself. "I love you." He smiled, lips so close he could practically taste her. But the realization shattered her. The moment came crashing down on her as she ripped the rug out from underneath his feet. "But I can't be with you." Her hand broke free of his.

His face paled. Lips left raw. All the warmth inside slipped out through the fingers of the hand that she'd just been holding. He tried to stay calm but anger and frustration surfaced. "What the frak…"

She turned away from him, feet buried in snow. They'd probably end up with frostbit worse than Ellie but she couldn't move. "I don't deserve you," her voice wavered. "I told you I loved you that night then I ran off with Sam. I kept your daughter from you for ten years. I don't deserve to be happy."

A frustrated sigh escaped his lips. He shook his head, partially relieved that she wasn't outright rejecting him. But battling her doubts again was not a thing he relished either. A hand circled his mid-section, placating the sore muscles there as he drew courage from some depths within that he hadn't realized existed. His earlier declaration was going to prove rather difficult. But he'd made a promise. If it was a fight she wanted, he'd give it to her.

"You're probably right," Lee finally agreed with her previous words. "Maybe you don't deserve me. I don't really know. I don't really care either. All I know is that I want to be with you and Ellie. Maybe that makes me a fool. _I don't care_," he threw up his hands and winced at the pain it caused to shoot through his rib cage.

Kara spun on him, face awash with confusion. "I'm trying to give you an out here."

"I don't want an out, Kara. Would you get that through your thick skull!" his voice finally lost control. "Wasted time, that's all we've accomplished these past few days. These past ten years! I'm sick of it. I know you did what you did because you thought it was right. Maybe its insane thinking but I have to commend your heart for being in the right place. Like I said before, I don't care any more about the past. Hold on to the good and let the bad go." He moved so close that he could feel her breath against his lips again. "I forgive you, Kara," he whispered.

"No…" she took a step back. "Don't…"

"I forgive you," Lee repeated the words. His hand reached out and skimmed along her cheek, snaked behind her head and rested at the base of her neck. He drew her close again, pulled her into his arms and was grateful when she didn't retreat. "I mean it, Kara. I forgive you. And I can keep saying that to you until I'm blue in the face, but it won't mean a damn thing until you forgive yourself."

Her body shook again as laughter wrapped in a sob escaped her mouth. It all came out as one indistinguishable sound, muffled against his chest. Kara felt his lips kiss the top of her head. Felt everything inside her fight him and give in all at once. "Easier said than done," she finally found the voice to reply.

Lee nodded as he hugged her tighter, ignoring the throb of pain in his side. "Anything worth a damn usually is," he answered.

She didn't pull away. Let his words sink in. Closed her eyes and accepted defeat. Kara Thrace was done running.

He tried to speak. Tried to utter more words of reassurance as he felt her finally resign herself to him. But the pain in his side became too great and his hold on her slacked to the point of letting go all together. Kara pulled away and watched as his eyes rolled back in his head just before he slumped to the ground at her feet.

**TBC**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights _to Battlestar Galactica_, or its characters.

**Note:** To anyone who is still reading this, my gratitude for all the comments and feedback I have received on this story. You all made it that much more fun to write. I apologize it took this long to complete. Please enjoy these last few bits.

**The Long Way Home  
Part 12**

By  
N. J. Borba

* * *

Lee felt the heaviness of sleep dissipate as his eyes fluttered and opened. The space around him was dim and it took him a few moments to get his bearings. A slew of memories bombarded him; floating down an icy river, washing ashore and finally hearing Kara utter the most wonderful words he could imagine. His lips curled into a smile as that last memory lingered. That's when Lee realized he wasn't freezing any longer.

Turning his head, he spotted her seated nearby. She was huddled with her legs curled up to her chest, staring out at the wintry landscape past the entrance of their wooden cave. "You've been busy," his voice was groggy as he pushed out the words. He shifted under an oddly shaped mass of something that looked to be evergreen branches.

Kara started. Her mind had been a million miles away and she hadn't even noticed that he'd awoken. She quickly collected herself. "Well, you decided to take a nap. So, I did all the work, as usual," Kara tried to make light of the situation. "Actually I didn't do near enough," she added in a softer tone as she attempted to hide just how relived she was to see him awake again.

"At least I feel warm," Lee offered up a small smile to her but it was marred by a wince as he tried to move.

She shifted toward him. A hand gently pushed him back to a laying position. "I think it's fair to say you did more than just bruise yourself," Kara relayed. "And the warmth is mostly from this lovely tree branch blanket I devised; scratchy but effective. I tried to make a fire but all the wood is too damp. I also decided against the whole, get naked and use body heat scenario. You were less than willing to strip for me, what with being unconscious," she pulled her lips tight, trying to muster up a smile but failing miserably.

"Well, at least it's still daylight out," Lee noticed as he stared up at the soft rays of sunshine coming in through the roof of their stump shelter. "I couldn't have been out very long," he figured.

Her head shook. "Correction, it's light out _again_. The sun went down then up again as I sat here waiting on you. You've been out close to twenty-four hours I'd say, though I can't be sure because my watch is dead. Waterproof down to 90 meters apparently doesn't include freezing rapids," Kara rambled on. "Yours isn't working either, I checked," she noted.

"It's not waterproof at all," he replied. His father had bought it for him upon the successful completion of his first court case. It had been quite a gesture, given that the old man hadn't been very pleased with his sons sudden career change. But that was all water under the bridge. Lee cringed slightly at the thought of water. His eyes settled on Kara's tired face. She'd pulled away again and realization struck him. "Hey," he called out to her.

"What?" She looked lost in thought.

"You were scared," it wasn't a question.

"I'm a big girl, Lee," Kara scoffed at his accusation, eyes darting around the space, trying to avoid him. "I'm not afraid of the woods at night. I have been lost out here before, and much more recently than I'd care to remember," she reminded him.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Lee quietly admonished. He reached out and rested a hand on her thigh. "You were scared I wasn't going to wake up," he took her silence for confirmation of his statement. "Lords," he mumbled, eye closed for a second. "I am so sorry, Kara," he squeezed her thigh and got her to finally focus on him. "I said all those things about not dying and then I…"

"It's okay," she quickly cut him off.

"No," his hand moved to grasp one of hers. He gave it a soft squeeze. "It's really not okay," Lee wished he was strong enough to sit up and wrap his arms around her. "Kara, I know I can't promise not to die today or next week but I swear I'm planning to stick by you for as long as I can. I love you, remember?" Lee was pleased when he saw that his words had drawn out the smallest hint of a smile upon her lips. He didn't need to hear her say it again. The look on her face spoke volumes. "Have you slept at all?" concern edged his voice.

"No," Kara shook her head.

"Come here," he patted gently to the small patch of ground beside him.

"Lee, I don't want to hurt you," she protested.

He wasn't taking no for an answer. Lee gently tugged at her arm, getting her to move closer. "I know I'm not in top shape here but I think I can handle a beautiful, albeit stubborn, woman sleeping beside me," he insisted.

"You sure are a sweet talker," Kara reluctantly lay down beside him, but easily curled into the warmth of his body. She rearranged the branches so they covered both of them. It was uncomfortable, but bearable because they had each other.

"Would you rather I say, come snuggle up with me _sweetie-pie_?" Lee asked in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice that was very out of character for the serious pilot turned lawyer. Kara erupted into a laugh that eased Lee's heart. "Didn't think so," he concluded as he carefully draped an arm over her shoulders.

They laid there for a silent moment. She was still a little hesitant about being so close to him. A lot had been resolved, but not everything. "We need to get you out of here," Kara finally voiced the reality of their situation.

He nodded his head in agreement. "First, you rest a little," he instructed. "We'll figure out the next step after that." Lee kissed her forehead and closed his eyes, smiling as he listened to the sound of her soft inhale and exhale of breath against his chest.

xxx

Karl carried his niece across the small cabin and settled her down on a comfy sofa in the sun room. He fluffed up some pillows for her and draped a warm blanket over her lap. The girl pulled on a smile for him. "I guess I get to stay home from school a few more days," Ellie tried to sound chipper but it was clear her heart wasn't in it. She was glad to be out of the hospital but she was still worried sick about her missing parents.

"Looks that way," Karl nodded. "But I told your teacher to send some work home with Hera the next few days. Can't let you fall too far behind in school. Lords know this family can only handle one screw-up at a time, and currently that title still belongs to your mother," Karl teased as he tweaked Ellie's nose. He was finally rewarded with a genuine smile. "Laura's getting you something to eat and I need to go talk to Jackson for a minute," he explained as he stood.

"About mom and dad?" she asked, the smile fading.

"Yep," he answered. Karl bent down and kissed her forehead. "We're going to find them," he assured her.

Ellie nodded non-committal. It broke Karl's heart to see her so down again. He didn't want to leave her but he knew that finding Kara and Lee would do her better than having him hang around all day. Karl bumped into Laura on his way through the cabin. They exchanged a brief hello before he went outside. Laura continued into the sun room with the tray she'd made up.

The woman put on her brightest smile before greeting the girl. "I have toast, cereal, fruit and juice," the former president announced as she sat down beside the child and offered Ellie the tray.

Ellie didn't feel much like eating but she didn't want to be rude either. She was grateful for what Laura was doing, taking care of her and all. It was great to have a grandma in her life for the first time. Laura was a big comfort with everything that was going on around her. She took a piece of toast and nibbled on one corner.

"Your parents will be back real soon," Laura went on. She leaned back, happy that Ellie was at least making a show of eating. One of her hands reached out instinctively. It smoothed along Ellie's forehead, pushing back some of her soft blonde hair. It was a soothing gesture for both of them.

"That's what everyone keeps telling me," Ellie mumbled just before taking a small drink of orange juice.

Laura smiled at how much Ellie reminded her of Kara. That little uncertainty that always seemed to creep into Ellie's emotions was Kara Thrace through and through. The woman suddenly recalled something that she thought might help to distract the child. "Did your mom ever tell you about the time I sent her back to Caprica to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo?"

"She doesn't talk about the past," Ellie shook her head, resting the juice glass in her lap. She looked out the window. "I think it makes her sad," it made Ellie sad that her mom didn't like to share things from the past with her. She wanted to know all about the Colonies and a ship called the Galactica. But she'd never press the matter.

"Well," Laura relaxed a little, launching into the story. "Your mother is one of the bravest people I know and I sent her on a very difficult mission that not even I imagined she could survive. She traveled a long way and encountered things that no Human being should ever have to endure. But she made it back alive, and she had the arrow with her. That arrow was extremely helpful in our search for Earth," she concluded.

There was genuine warmth behind the new smile that graced Ellie's face as she listened and digested the story. Every little girl liked to think of their parents as a hero, but her mom truly was. "What about my dad?" she queried, wanting to know more. "Did he ever go on any brave missions?"

"Captain Apollo?" Laura grinned at the memory of that moniker. "Yes, he went on many brave missions. There was the Tillium raid and the Kobal rescue as well as finding the Tomb of Athena. He was also instrumental in the rescue of our people off New Caprica, myself and your mother included," she noted.

The girl enjoyed hearing of her parents' adventures. But the smile on her face faltered. She looked up at Laura with big blue eyes, rimmed with unshed tears. "But, what if they used up all their bravery and good luck helping me the other day?" she questioned. "It'll be my fault if they're dead," she couldn't help the tears that ran down her cheek.

"No," Laura pulled the child to her and wrapped her arms around the girl. "Even if, Gods forbid, your parents were to be found dead, it would never be your fault Ellie. Never. They would do anything to keep you safe because they love you so much," she whispered the small reassurance into the girl's ear.

Their quiet embrace was interrupted a few moments later as Bill walked in on them. He silently motioned for Laura to join him in the Cabin's main room. She settled Ellie back down on the sofa with the remainder of her food and strict orders to eat some more. Then she joined her husband in the other room.

"How is she?" Bill asked with concern evident in his tone.

"Not so good," Laura shook her head in response. "She won't eat much and she's understandably upset about Lee and Kara," she explained. "I managed to take her mind off things for a few minutes, but not long enough."

He sighed and ran a hand over his chin. "I think she used up all her bravery the last time Kara went missing, not to mention the whole ordeal out there in the storm two nights ago. No child should have to go through all that," he stood tall and rested his hands on Laura's shoulders. "I'm taking Karl up on his offer. We're going to help search," he declared.

"When do you leave?" Laura didn't bother trying to dissuade him from going after his children. She knew that would be a useless endeavor. So she offered support instead.

"Now," Bill replied. He pulled her close, hugging her gently and kissing her warmly on the lips. "It's all arranged with Jackson and Karl is getting our equipment together right now," he explained. They separated and he looked her in the eye. "Take good care of our girl," he gestured toward Ellie in the other room.

"I will," Laura easily agreed. She watched as he started to turn toward the door. "Bill," she called him back. He stood before her again. "Find them," was all she could think to say.

He nodded and gave a small reassuring smile. "I will." Then he turned and took his leave.

xxx

"So, are we going to talk about it?"

Kara was startled by his words. "You're awake."

Lee's hand ran along her shoulder and rested there. The feel of her besides his did more than just warm his body; it filled his soul with hope. Yet he could still sense a distance between them. "I've been asleep for the better part of a day, I have an excuse," he intoned. "So what's yours?" he asked. "You didn't sleep long," Lee had laid beside her for a short time before he realized she wasn't asleep any longer. He'd waited for her to drift off again but she hadn't.

"I'm really hungry," she lamely replied. "It's hard to sleep when your stomach keeps flopping around."

"I'm trying to be serious here, Kara."

"So am I," she protested. Her mind kept drifting to the sensation of his hand on her shoulder. She remembered holding his hand in the water and not letting go. She'd felt safe even as the prospect of death loomed. All of it seemed to be happing so fast and so painstakingly slow at the same time. Kara tried to let her self be happy but kept unintentionally putting her guard up. "I haven't eaten anything in nearly two days," she concluded.

"Well, I have become a fairly decent cook the last few years," Lee admitted to the domestic trait. "When we get back to your cabin, I'll make you something. Anything you want," he offered.

"Promise?" the whole conversation felt odd to her, yet very satisfying. The simple gesture of Lee cooking for her became a light in the darkness to hold on to.

"I promise," Lee agreed. "Now will you talk?" he further prodded.

She knew there was a catch, but she finally decided to give in. "You were right," her words were a whisper. "I was scared," Kara admitted. "Do you remember the night Ellie was conceived?"

It sounded like a sudden shift in topic but Lee went with it. He nodded. "It was just the one time," he recalled. "The Earthlings had just released us from our quarantine and there was a lot of celebrating," the events of that time ten years ago came back in a flash. "I still can't believe you knew how to turn that Eye of Jupiter thingy into a wormhole," everything had happened so suddenly back then. One moment they'd been trying to find Earth, the next they'd been tossed right into the planet's back yard.

"Honestly, I didn't know what I was doing," Kara confessed. She remembered Leoben and his message of her destiny but she tried not to dwell on it all too much. "It just reacted to me and I reacted to it," she continued.

Lee understood that some things were best left a mystery. It didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. "What does all this have to do with last night and you being scared?" Lee hoped to bring the conversation back around, wondering if her train of thought was still on the same path or not.

Kara shifted, turned her body to the side so she could face Lee. His hand stayed at her shoulder and one of her hands rested against his chest. The beat of his heart was strong beneath her fingers. She drew strength from it. "I was scared that night too," she confessed. "I ran on New Caprica. But here on Earth, I woke up that morning scared but still ready to face a future with you. Except…"

"That time I was gone," Lee supplied the rest of the story.

"I understand why you left, I do," Kara finally acknowledged her part in their games. "I burned you once and you didn't want that to happen again. I don't blame you for that any more," she was slowly learning to let things go. "Last night I was scared of you leaving again but I didn't run. I wanted to give you, us, one more chance to get it right."

"Kind of helps that I was unconscious and unable to leave," Lee noted.

"I wasn't scared of you running off," Kara relayed. She didn't need to say that she was scared of him dying. That was understood. There was a long pause in their conversation. "What you said before, about letting the past go and holding on to the good stuff. Can you do that, Lee? Can you really do that?" she asked of him. Three beats of his heart passed. "Because if you can, I can too," Kara finally offered.

He looked her in the eye. "I wouldn't have left you last night. Not even if I'd been fully alert and able to run. I want this second, or third, or whatever chance this is we've been given. I want you, Kara," he honestly told her. "Is that answer enough for you?"

Her grin bloomed cheerfully. "Yes," her chest felt as if a great weight had been lifted from it. "I just have one last thing to tell you," she bit down nervously on her bottom lip.

"What?" there was a small amount of concern in his eyes.

"Promise not to get mad?" she asked. Lee only narrowed his eyes at her. "We're only about two miles from my cabin," Kara finally revealed.

"We're what?"

She nodded. "I'd say we're not too far from the spot were Ellie left all my paintings. I didn't realize it at first. After I dragged you in here I went out to collect branches and that's when things started to look familiar to me. Some of the snow had melted and it just hit me," Kara sighed. "They probably think we ended up a lot further down the river, possibly even across the border," she concluded.

"You've gotta be fraking kidding me," Lee moaned in disbelief.

"Haven't you ever been lost in your own backyard before?" Kara innocently shrugged.

"Yeah, when I was two," his mouth hung open as he continued to stare at her. "Kara, why haven't you gone to get help? You could have been there and back again, even in these conditions," he observed.

Kara withdrew from him again. She looked away and took a deep breath. "I didn't want to leave you," she breathed out. "I thought you might wake up and…"

He realized exactly why she hadn't left. It all boiled down to the conversation they'd just had. "Kara," he pulled her close again and leaned in to kiss her. There was hesitation at first but soon they booth sunk into the embrace. "This is over, okay," he whispered against her lips. "I love you and I'm not leaving you, not ever again," he swore.

Her heart swelled but the moment was soon shattered by a low hum of movement through the bushes to their right. Kara froze and opened her ears. "Could it be search and rescue?" Lee asked after a beat.

"Or some sort of animal that's waiting for us to die of starvation," her pessimistic side reared its head again. "Stay here," she instructed. Lee gave her a, _where the frak am I gonna go_, look. Kara scrambled out from underneath their twig blanket and grabbed the largest branch she could find.

She crept out of the shelter and inched her way toward the nearest tree, hoping it would provide some cover. Another soft sound of movement carried across the quiet woods. There was a flutter of branches swishing against one another as something moved through the trees. And a light pad of footsteps sounded on crunchy snow.

Kara held her breath and waited until she heard the rustle of movement right in front of her. It was the first time in a long while that she'd wished for a pistol. She stepped into the clearing, brandishing her stick, and came face to face with two people she hadn't expected to find. Her face wide with shock, she managed to stammer out one word.

"Admiral?" the term was instinctive.

William Adama stared at her for a moment, stern faced. There'd been bad blood between them for years, but after all they'd been through recently, it didn't seem to matter. He knew he'd never be able to stay angry at her, even though he had every right after finding out about the secret she'd kept. In the end, relief washed over him as he reached out with one arm and pulled her in for a hearty embrace.

"Where's Lee?" Karl inquired.

"Nice to see you too," Kara quipped as she pulled away from Adama and playfully slugged her friend on the shoulder. He hugged her tightly before she pointed toward the stump. "He's laying down on the job, as usual," her grin was cheeky for a spell but waned a second later. "Pretty sure he has a couple of broken ribs. He passed out on me for nearly twenty-four hours," she explained.

Karl went to find Lee and Bill could hear the worry in her tone. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll radio Jackson and have him out of here in no time," he assured her. She nodded a thank you but worry still cloudy her eyes. "There's a young lady up at your cabin who will be mighty pleased to see the two of you," he informed her.

Kara felt the tears prick her eyes as she tried to stay strong. Confirmation of Ellie's safety brought all of her emotions bubbling to the surface. She felt like laughing and crying all at once. For the first time in a long while, she was truly happy and believed that the future just might not be so lonely.

She nodded again and conjured up a small smile for the admiral. "Then what are we waiting for."

* * *

**Continued in the Epilogue…**


	13. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights _to Battlestar Galactica_, or its characters.

**The Long Way Home  
Epilogue**

By  
N. J. Borba

* * *

The sun shown down brightly, nestled in a clear blue sky. Row upon row of evergreen trees towered above, lining the river banks. They were filled with happy birds singing the praises of summer. Lee watched as the river current swayed against his calf muscles and floated down stream. The water was calm and its coolness welcome in the blazing hot August sun.

He definitely liked the river a lot better when its wintry waters weren't sweeping him downstream at an alarming rate. Lee pulled back on his fishing pole and cast it lazily into the stream of water. Karl did the same beside him. They'd both taken up the sport just recently and were learning together. It was worlds away from shooting down Cylons and fighting for their lives day-to-day.

"So, how is it being a lawyer in a small town?" Karl struck up conversation.

Lee grinned at his friend. "It's, uh, different than the big city," he diplomatically replied.

"You mean boring," Agathon chuckled.

"No," Lee shook his head. "Different. Well… maybe a little boring," he finally confessed. "It's just not quite the same pace, but I'm not quite the same person I was before either. And Kara certainly makes up for any lack of excitement in the courtroom," he added.

Karl's laugh deepened. "Driving you crazy all ready?"

"No, well… maybe a little," Lee agreed. He pulled his line out of the water and skimmed it several times, back and forth over the rivers surface. It connected and sunk his fly again as Lee glanced over to where Kara and Ellie were splashing each other in the water. "But in a good way," he grinned back at his friend. "Definitely a good way."

A few minutes later their fly fishing was interrupted by the gleeful shouts of all three young girls. Lee and Karl turned toward the commotion to see that Bill and Laura had joined Kara and Sharon further down the river. Lee pulled his line in and began to wade his way over to the group. Karl followed closely until they found Kara bombarding her father-in-law with questions.

"What kind of surprise?" the impatient woman asked.

"It's a surprise, Kara," Bill intoned. "That tends to mean I can't tell you what it is," he added, shaking hands with Karl and slapping his son on the back. "It's a surprise for all of you," he informed the latecomers.

"Come on sir, I hate surprises. _Loath_ them," Kara added for emphasis.

"Sorry," the old man maintained.

"Lee, tell your father how much I hate surprises," she nudged her husband in the stomach.

"Um, no," Lee shook his head, loving ever minute of the torture he was causing her. He knew how true it was that she really hated surprises. But he loved to tease her.

"Fine," Kara turned to her daughter, trying another tactic. "Ellie, grandpa Bill will do anything you ask. Ask him what the surprise is," she urged the girl to help out.

"Nope!" Ellie stubbornly denied her mother. She grinned up at her father and Lee wrapped his arm around the child from behind and kissed the top of her head. "Good girl," he whispered.

"Ugh!" Kara looked between Lee and their daughter. She noticed how very much alike they looked with their smug faces. She pointed a finger at first Lee then Ellie. "I knew there was a good reason I kept you two apart all these years." The realization of her words sunk in after a second as she looked around at all the silent faces. "Okay, that was about the dumbest thing I ever could have said."

Everyone was quiet for a moment. They kept glancing around at one another, none of them sure what to say. "Well, if we're going to start censoring every dumb thing that comes out of your mouth, Kara. You may never speak again," Lee finally joked.

A collective sigh of relief filled the space between them all as Kara punched Lee in the arm. They really had been able to forgive and forget the past. And hold on to the good stuff.

xxx

The group rounded a corner and Bill led his entourage of ladies further through the ship then finally into a large room. "This is the CIC," he informed them, ushering the girls toward the main console table in the middle of the space. Laura stayed close to his left and they all nearly jumped when the Commander called out…

"Attention on deck!"

All officers in the room stood and squared their shoulders. They brought right hands to a saluted position and faced William Adama. The old man felt slightly awkward but quickly fell back on his years of military protocol and saluted. His eyes came to rest upon the commanding officer and he smiled.

"No need for such formality Commander Gaeta," Bill insisted. "I'm not an admiral any longer and the Colonial Fleet was disbanded upon the Galactica's demise," he reminded his former officer.

"Colonial Fleet or not, you'll always be an admiral to me, sir," Gaeta firmly replied. Everyone else returned to their duties. "On behalf of the Earth Alliance Fleet, welcome aboard the Battlestar Jupiter," the younger man shook Bill's hand. "I know you had a lot to do with her design, it's a pleasure to have you with us today sir."

"Thank you," William Adama gazed around the room. He saw a few faces he recognized but most were young and unknown to him. "Never thought I'd stand on another Battlestar in my lifetime," he observed.

"She's a fine ship, sir," Gaeta paused. "Although, sometimes a little too perfect. Not enough to keep us on our toes out here some days," he confessed.

"Be grateful for that Commander," Bill remembered wishing for peace and quiet a time or two while on the run from the Cylons.

"Yes, sir," Gaeta nodded. He turned toward the three young girls who stood at attention by the main table. "And who are these lovely young ladies with you today?" he asked.

Bill quickly motioned to Laura. "Of course you remember the former president of the Colonies, presently my wife," he kept a serious face.

Laura chuckled softly as she smiled at her husband. She shook Gaeta's hand as well. "He's still quite charming," she relayed to the commander, in reference to her husband. Then turning toward Bill again, "But I do believe he was referring to the younger young ladies." They all chuckled softly.

"This is my granddaughter, Eleanor," Bill announced with his hands proudly perched on her shoulders.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Everyone just calls me Ellie, except for grandpa," she pointed out.

"Well, Ellie, it's a pleasure to meet you," Gaeta replied, shaking her hand like he had the Admiral. "You look just like your mother and your dad too," he added. Word about Lee and Kara's reunion had spread quickly throughout the old Galactica crew. Most of them had stayed connected over the years. And no one had seemed all too surprised by the news.

"Thanks," Ellie shyly replied as Bill happily introduced Hera and Helen around. He and Laura had taken on Grandparent duty to all three girls, and loved every minute of it.

A few minutes later Ellie tugged insistently at his arm. "Grandpa, can we listen?" she asked.

Bill nodded and looked to the ships Commander again. Gaeta motioned for the communications officer to flip the main CIC speakers on so they could all listen in on the main event of the day.

"_Apollo, Raptor one here. We're not reading her anywhere on dradis," _Helo's voice chirped through the speakers.

"That's my uncle Karl," Ellie beamed.

"_She zoomed right past our left aft thruster and that's the last visual I had," _Athena added to her husbands report.

"And that's my mom," Helen exclaimed proudly.

"_Come on Starbuck," _Lee's voice also filtered through the comm.. "_This spin around the block was granted due to the Commander's special approval. We're just guests here," _he reminded her.

"_I've still got nothing," _Helo relayed a moment later.

"_Starbuck, this isn't funny any more. Where did you go?"_ Lee's voice started to take on a worried tone. Neither of them had piloted a Viper in over ten years. He wondered what might have happened to her. "_Kara… are you out there?"_

A sudden flash of light erupted in front of him. It quickly came into view, revealing the distinct shape of a Viper. Kara lightly taped the nose of his viper then pulled a daring turn and looped around him, whooping all the way. "_Wahoo!"_

"_Lords, Starbuck. Stop screwing around!"_ his worry was quickly replaced with anger.

She maneuvered back around so they were flying nose to nose again. "_Lee, these Vipers have stealth, FTL and a frak load more maneuverability than even the mark VIII's. How can I possibly be expected not to have a little fun here? You are not the CAG any more, so for once, why don't you pull that stick out of your…"_

"Starbuck, this is the former Admiral of the Colonial Fleet," Adama's voice boomed through to her Viper. "I'd just like to remind you that your daughter is listening," he finished.

"_Yes sir,"_ Kara chuckled. "_Sorry kid,"_ she added for Ellie's benefit.

"_Well, at the risk of letting you get your way…"_ Lee broke into the conversation again. "_Jupiter, Apollo," _he called through his comm..

"Jupiter actual, go ahead Apollo," Gaeta responded.

"_I have a request actual, to prove to my wife that the stick is no longer in place."_

"What sort of request?" Gaeta prepared himself.

"_A race?" _Lee ventured.

The Commander looked to the Admiral. Adama shrugged. "Shall we indulge them?" he grinned at his children's antics. For once he didn't have to play the role of stuffy old admiral. He left the final decision up to the Jupiter's commander.

"Well, I suppose that is what this afternoon is all about, isn't it?" Gaeta had mellowed over the years. He'd learned tolerance and forgiveness. He'd forgotten Kara's miscarry of justice after New Caprica, forgiven his own part in the events with Baltar and rose to become a great leader in his own right. "Apollo, Jupiter actual… permission to proceed granted. But you bring back my ships in one piece or I'll have you swabbing the deck. I don't care if you're not military any longer," he warned.

"_Actual, Apollo… understood._" Lee grinned at his wife who waggled her wings at him in anticipation. He returned the gesture. "_Okay, Starbuck, looks like you get your wish. We race to the moon then around Mars and all the way back to the ship. Loser makes dinner tonight," _He set up the terms.

"_Oh Lords!"_ Kara's bark of laughter echoed heartily through the comm.. "_How pathetically domestic have we become?"_ She asked, shaking her head at her husband. "_Well, considering you are the better cook, I'll gladly accept your terms. I could use a nice meal," _she concluded, giving him a wink.

Lee chuckled. "_I only made the wager so I know I'll get a decent meal. I assume you'll be ordering out to fulfill your payment,"_ he teased.

"_Just shut-up and fly, flyboy,"_ Starbuck ordered.

"_On my mark then,"_ Lee counted them down.

In the CIC, Ellie jumped up and down as she heard the roar of Vipers jetting off into deeper space. She looked up at her grandfather with gleeful eyes. "You cheer for daddy and I'll cheer for mom," she instructed. "Go mommy, go!"

Adama glanced over at his wife with a raised eyebrow. "I'm afraid I'm not that enthusiastic of a cheer leader," he confessed with a grin.

Laura didn't miss a beat. "Go, Captain Apollo, go!" she cheered merrily in her husbands stead.

The cheers in CIC slowly died down as Kara and Lee's Vipers darted past the moon and drifted out of dradis contact. Ellie turned to her grandfather again, a question poised on her lips. "Do you think they'll give me back their dog tags when they finish today?" she asked. The girl adored the small memento of her parents past. "Why did they need them back any way?"

"Tradition," Adama quickly supplied a reply to her second query.

"Or sentiment, more likely," Laura added.

"Superstition," Gaeta piped in.

The girl was slightly confused, but continued to look to her grandfather for further answer. He glanced over at Laura who gave a small nod of her head. Adama pulled out a little blue box from his jacket pocket. "If they don't return them to you, perhaps these will suffice," he offered the gift box to Ellie.

She looked at it and hesitated a moment then tore into it the next second. Within the box lay a set of hexagonal dog tags identical in every fashion to those of her parents. But Ellie noticed that her own name was imprinted upon them, along with the word, "Polaris?" she looked up at her grandfather again.

"I thought it would make a fitting call sign," he squeezed her shoulder.

Ellie's face lit up and she hugged him tightly. "Thank you!" she squeaked excitedly before quickly pulling the tags over her head.

"Athena," Bill called out to the retired Raptor pilot on patrol with Starbuck and Apollo. "Any visual yet on who is ahead out there?" he voiced the question that they were all curious to know.

"_Well, sir, they just rounded the moon again and it looks like…"_

xxx

Eleanor's footsteps clanged against the metal flight deck as she ran headlong into her parents. She wrapped her arms around Lee and smiled broadly up at him. "Good race, daddy," she commended the man and snuggled up in his warm embrace. Lee bent down and kissed his daughter atop the head.

"Yeah, not bad for an old man," Kara cajoled from beside the two.

The girl easily changed places and hugged her mom. Ellie looked up at the woman and grinned. "So, what are we having for dinner tonight?" she asked.

Kara made a good show of pondering the decision for a long moment. "I think Chicken Alfredo sounds good," she ruffled her daughters hair then looked to Lee with a wide grin upon her face. "Your dad sure does make a great Alfredo sauce," her laughter boomed throughout the flight deck as the three of them walked toward the shuttle. Sharon had been granted permission to return them all planet-side.

They met up with Bill and Laura who were also not hiding their laughter too well. "Yeah, yeah, have your fun now," Lee responded good naturedly as Ellie scrambled aboard with her grandparents. Lee held onto Kara, not letting her board. "Just you wait until the rematch," he drew her closer and maneuvered a kiss out of her.

The two of them pulled out of the kiss and stood there by the shuttle, arm in arm. They regarded the flight deck and marveled again at the shinny grey and red Vipers they had just flown. "I don't think there'll be a rematch," Kara shook her head and faced Lee again. He looked slightly confused. "Don't get me wrong, flying a Viper again was amazing but… being out there today made me realize that's not my life anymore."

"Really?" he questioned.

"Really," she confirmed with a nod. "My life is with you and Ellie down on the planet. That's all I want. I just need my family and a place to come back to every night after the job is done," Kara concluded.

He nodded his agreement. His hand slipped into hers and held tight. They both ran their eyes over the flight deck and took one last glance at their former lives. Lee gave her hand a gentle squeeze and tugged her toward the shuttle's door.

"Let's go home."

* * *

**The End**


End file.
